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Jones County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 208 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,395 nationally and #82 in North Carolina.
208
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$8.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Jones County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jones County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 57 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 191 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jones County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jones County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 94 | 0 | $128K | 78 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 66 | 0 | $500 | 2.5 | 1958–2021 |
| Tornado | 22 | 1 | $7.6M | F3 | 1965–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2012 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Jones County, North Carolina severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-03-17 | EF3 | 2 | 85 | 41.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 19 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 32.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-04-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-29 | EF1 | 0 | 33 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jones County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 16, 1999 | Tornado | HARGETTS | 0 | 8 | $2.0M |
| Nov 12, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pollocksville | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| May 11, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rain moved across most of Jones County during the late afternoon and evening of September 30th as the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole moved north across the region. This rain fell on saturated ground from very heavy rain the previous few days. Significant flash flooding developed especially for areas from Trenton to Pollocksville near the Trent River. Many acres of crops were damaged or destroyed. Several homes and businesses were also damaged from the flood waters.
A tornado touched down along Highway 41 northeast of Comfort and tracked northeast about 5 mile. The tornado appeared to lift off the ground at times along the path. Several trees or large branches were downed along the path of the tornado. The tornado destroyed a greenhouse and damaged a shed at one residence. A vehicle was also damaged from flying debris. The tornado also flipped and damaged a large farm irrigation system.
Down-burst with winds estimated to 90 mph just west of Comfort. Metal roof of a small barn completely torn off and pieces blown several hundred yards down wind. Several large hard wood trees uprooted. Several large pine trees uprooted or snapped off just above the ground.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,302
Population (ACS)
$130K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Oct 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jones County, North Carolina?
208 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $8.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jones County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 94 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jones County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jones County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jones County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jones County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jones County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jones County, North Carolina severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Johnston County 750
- Lee County 250
- Jackson County 223
- Lenoir County 373
- Iredell County 569
- Lincoln County 374
Cite this page
“Jones County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/jones-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.