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New Hanover County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 605 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 28.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #572 nationally and #10 in North Carolina.
605
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$14.7M
Property damage
The record
What the New Hanover County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, New Hanover County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 212 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 66 events fall before 1990 and 539 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the New Hanover County, North Carolina record is lightning, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.5M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in New Hanover County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 175 | 0 | $2.0M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 113 | 0 | $7.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 112 | 0 | $17K | 2.5 | 1957–2024 |
| Flood | 62 | 0 | $27K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 44 | 0 | $1.7M | 0 | 2000–2023 |
| Lightning | 41 | 5 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 33 | 0 | $2.4M | F1 | 1954–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Waterspout | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Rip Current | 6 | 5 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2005 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1998 |
Decade by decade
New Hanover 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
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-12-24 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-01-08 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in New Hanover County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 2000 | Rip Current | KURE BEACH | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2020 | Lightning | WILMINGTON | 2 | 0 | $2K |
| Sep 25, 2009 | Lightning | WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2022 | Lightning | MASONBORO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2012 | Lightning | CASTLE HAYNE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2005 | Rip Current | CAROLINA BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2000 | Rip Current | KURE BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2005 | Lightning | CAROLINA BEACH | 0 | 7 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Gordon road impassable due to flooding. Middle Sound Loop washed out the the Anchors Bend Marina. High water reported at Holly Shelter Road and Blue Clay. Wood Sorrell Rd closed due to flooding. In Wilmington, 16th St had collapsed at Greenfield St. Road closed. A business was washed out at 12th and Market St. Kerr Ave was washed out at Bavarian Lane. The ramps at the interchange of I-40 and I-140 were flooded and impassable. A sink hole four feet deep was reported at the intersection of Red Cedar Rd and Hawk Rd.
A NWS storm survey concluded a microburst produced estimated 100 mph wind gusts, causing extensive damage to many homes in the Brittany Woods subdivision. Nearly 100 homes sustained at least some damage. The more serious damage occurred to half a dozen homes when their garage doors were blown in, allowing the wind to blow portions of walls and/or roofs away. One home sustained extensive damage when a fence was demolished, with the projectiles blown through the house's walls. A large travel trailer and an RV motor home were overturned, and an SUV and an attached trailer were turned around. The storm continued east southeast, with numerous trees and power lines reported down. The thunderstorm dropped penny to nickel size hail 3 miles northeast of Wilmington and 7 miles north of Wilmington, as well as 3 miles east of Murraysville. More penny size hail was reported in Wrightsville Beach, as the storm finally moved offshore.
A waterspout moved ashore over the northern end of Figure Eight|Island, causing EF0 damage to a couple beachfront homes and trees.|The tornado track was evident across the marsh towards the|Intracoastal Waterway, where it affected Bald Eagle Ln. At the|Bald Eagle Ln area there was one injury, numerous trees snapped|and uprooted, along with mostly minor home damage. The tornado|moved northwest towards Fazio Dr where it created its widest|damage, including some roof damage and large trees snapped near|the Porter's Neck golf course. The tornado continued to move|northwest to Futch Creek Rd and Plantation Landing Dr where it|lifted after producing EF0 damage, mainly to trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
235,229
Population (ACS)
$388K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Tropical Storm | POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE EIGHT | 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 |
| Oct 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wilmington 241
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in New Hanover County, North Carolina?
605 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $14.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in New Hanover County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 175 recorded events — 28.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed New Hanover County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover New Hanover County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include New Hanover County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is New Hanover County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates New Hanover County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the New Hanover 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
- Nash County 429
- Northampton County 239
- Moore County 532
- Onslow County 542
- Montgomery County 261
- Orange County 464
Cite this page
“New Hanover County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/new-hanover-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.