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Lee County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 250 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,107 nationally and #65 in North Carolina.
250
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$65.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 70 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 222 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lee County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $59.1M 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 Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 155 | 0 | $695K | 70 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 58 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1956–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $588K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 6 | 2 | $59.1M | F2 | 1956–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $120K | 0 | 2005–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $5.4M | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Lee 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
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 6 | 103 | 65.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-05-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | WHITE HILL | 2 | 36 | $57.0M |
| Jul 18, 2017 | Lightning | JONESBORO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | SANFORD | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| May 3, 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 rainfall of 10 to 15 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Additional heavy rainfall upstream caused moderate flooding along the Deep River near Moncure. Flooding damaged approximately 210 structures throughout the county, destroying 13 and resulting in over $5.4 million in property damage and over $20 million in crop damage. Numerous streets and roads were reported flooded.
An EF-1 tornado touched down at the Raleigh Executive Jetport 7.5 miles northeast of Sanford in Lee County, North Carolina. Several hangers had damage to wall panels and doors. Several aircraft were damaged. Minor damage to the taxiway occurred. The tornado briefly lifted before touching back down near its end point, and resulted in minor damage to several mobile homes and several trees that were snapped and uprooted.
An isolated severe thunderstorm produced a downbrust and considerable rainfall near Sandford. T he county Emergency Manager reported that 2 storage buildings were destroyed, 3 mobile homes sustained heavy damage due to falling trees, and a single engine airplane was turned upside down at the local airport. There were numerous trees downed in the same area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
65,816
Population (ACS)
$240K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, North Carolina?
250 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $65.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 155 recorded events — 62.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lee County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Jones County 208
- Lenoir County 373
- Johnston County 750
- Lincoln County 374
- Jackson County 223
- McDowell County 415
Cite this page
“Lee County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.