Lincoln County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 374 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,362 nationally and #49 in North Carolina.
374
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$32.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Lincoln County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lincoln County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 134 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 332 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lincoln County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lincoln County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 177 | 1 | $598K | 90 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 131 | 0 | $1.0M | 2.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 4 | $27.7M | F4 | 1968–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $1.7M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2010–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Lincoln 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: 19 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-05 | EF4 | 4 | 52 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-26 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lincoln County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | Tornado | 4 | 19 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 20, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | TRIANGLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | Tornado | TOLUCA | 0 | 11 | $1.2M |
| May 28, 2010 | Lightning | MARIPOSA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | Lightning | HENRY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2010 | Lightning | BOGER CITY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | LINCOLNTON | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado path began on Wingate Hill Rd just east of the Fay Jones Rd intersection. The tornado traveled east northeast, causing intermittent damage to tree tops before affecting two subdivisions on Forney Hill Rd and Saint James Rd in Denver. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off, some of which fell on homes. Some homes received minor roof damage and damage to gutters and flashing as well.
Newspaper reported flash flooding developed along the South Fork Catawba River and at least one of its tributaries after around 5 inches of rain fell across the area in 24 hours, with much of that falling during the morning and early afternoon of the 6th. The South Fork flooded multiple low lying roads and greenway areas in Lincolnton and vicinity, including Reepsville and Madison St. Muddy Creek overflowed its banks near the intersection of Gates Rd and Highway 321, flooding a vehicle detailing business and damaging or destroying multiple vehicles.
A large area of downburst winds began near the end of the first tornado track, in the Denver community, and continued on the south side of the 2nd tornado track. Numerous trees were uprooted from the Campground Rd/Forney Hill Rd area to areas north of Westport. Some trees fell on homes, causing significant damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
92,716
Population (ACS)
$321K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lincolnton 131
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lincoln County, North Carolina?
374 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $32.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lincoln County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 177 recorded events — 47.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lincoln County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lincoln County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lincoln County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lincoln County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lincoln 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
- Lenoir County 373
- McDowell County 415
- Lee County 250
- Macon County 211
- Jones County 208
- Madison County 236
Cite this page
“Lincoln County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/lincoln-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.