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Moore County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 532 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #777 nationally and #22 in North Carolina.
532
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$23.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Moore County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Moore County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 152 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 468 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Moore County, North Carolina record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $9.4M 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 Moore County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 331 | 0 | $1.5M | 70 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 115 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 51 | 0 | $9.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $3.5M | F2 | 1973–2019 |
| Lightning | 14 | 2 | $713K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $8.3M | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Moore 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
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 0 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 | Touched down here |
| 1981-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-29 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-03-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Moore County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2006 | Lightning | SOUTHERN PINES | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2002 | Lightning | ROBBINS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 29, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Feb 21, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Dec 7, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | CARTHAGE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 24, 2001 | Lightning | ROBBINS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 5, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jun 10, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
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 flooding across the county. Additional rainfall upstream resulted in major flooding along the Flat Creek near Vass. Flooding damaged approximately 418 structures throughout the county, destroying 29 and resulting in approximately $8.34 million in property damage. Crop damage was at least $20 million. Numerous streets and roads were reported flooded.
Aberdeen Creek flooded parts of North Carolina Highway 5 and US Highway 1 with several roads closed in the area. Damage estimates may have exceeded 5 million, including to roads, bridges, infrastructure, and residential areas.
Widespread heavy rainfall of 4 to 8 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well. Flooding damaged approximately 838 structures throughout the county, resulting in $3.9 million in property damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
104,876
Population (ACS)
$351K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 11, 2025 | Tropical Depression | TROPICAL DEPRESSION CHANTAL | 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 Moore County, North Carolina?
532 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $23.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Moore County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 331 recorded events — 62.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Moore County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Moore County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Moore County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Moore County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Moore County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Moore 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
- Montgomery County 261
- Nash County 429
- Mitchell County 100
- New Hanover County 605
- Mecklenburg County 889
- Northampton County 239
Cite this page
“Moore County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/moore-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.