Person County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 338 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,566 nationally and #55 in North Carolina.
338
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$5.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Person County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Person County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 132 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 305 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $2.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Person County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 212 | 0 | $557K | 70 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 84 | 0 | $2.0M | 2.5 | 1975–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $837K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $1.6M | F2 | 1964–2013 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $220K | 0 | 2000–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
Decade by decade
Person 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
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 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 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 26.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 13.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-07-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-07-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Person County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | HYCO | 0 | 2 | $400K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado initially touched down 4 miles north northwest of Roxboro on 3922 Chub Lake Road near a golf course in Person County as an EF0. The tornado strengthened to an EF1 as it passed near the Bethel Hill Charter School and then strengthened to an EF2 as it crossed 220 North Point Drive. The tornado continued intermittently as an EF2 with intermittent EF1 damage until it crossed the Virginia state line. The roof of the Bethel Hill Charter School was ripped off. Two homes were destroyed in Person County with minor damage to 10 additional homes. Two schools, including Bethel Hill Charter School sustained moderate damage. There was also 2 reported injuries.
The tornado initially touched down as a EF0 with wind speeds rated 70 to 80 mph along Fire Tower Road near Moores Mill Road in extreme southwest Person County. The tornado then moved northeast crossing Helena-Moriah Road. Numerous trees were sheared off a quarter to halfway up. ||The tornado continued to move northeast where it struck a subdivision off Stoney Mountain Road. Several trees were twisted off and uprooted. Two modular homes sustained damage when trees fell on them. The worst damage occurred as the tornado moved northeast across Medford Oakley Road. Numerous Pines and Hardwoods were snapped off and uprooted. A modular home was also moved off its foundation. The tornado reached EF1 strength here with estimated winds of 90 to 100 mph. ||The tornado then moved into a wooded area where it produced minor damage to an old barn before dissipating.
A tornado touched down approximately 10 miles northwest of Roxboro, North Carolina. Although the tornado was only on the ground for two minutes significant tree and structure damage occurred, including one covered boat dock on Hyco Lake that was destroyed. Moderate damage to several homes and other nearby covered boat docks was reported, including damage to roofing material on several homes and a multi-story balcony that was uplifted and damaged on one home. Dozens of trees along the damage path were snapped and uprooted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,542
Population (ACS)
$214K
Median home value
27
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 Person County, North Carolina?
338 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Person County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 212 recorded events — 62.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Person County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Person County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Person County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Person County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Person County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Person 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
- Perquimans County 144
- Pitt County 554
- Pender County 444
- Polk County 236
- Pasquotank County 209
- Randolph County 622
Cite this page
“Person County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/person-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.