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Martin; Pitt; Washington; Tyrrell; Mainland Dare; Greene; Beaufort; Mainland Hyde; Duplin; Lenoir; Jones; Pamlico; Northern Craven; Southern Craven; Inland Onslow
Pitt County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 554 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #709 nationally and #17 in North Carolina.
554
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
173
Direct injuries
$31.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Pitt County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pitt County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 169 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 482 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pitt County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $30.0M 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 Pitt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 254 | 1 | $779K | 78 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 175 | 0 | $260K | 3 | 1960–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 63 | 1 | $250K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 33 | 9 | $30.0M | F4 | 1950–2017 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $90K | 0 | 1998–2012 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $151K | 0 | 2002–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2009 |
Decade by decade
Pitt 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
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-28 | EF4 | 16 | 153 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-02-22 | EF3 | 2 | 60 | 85.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-03-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 32.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pitt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 9 | 153 | $25.0M | |
| Oct 9, 2016 | Flash Flood | ARTHUR | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | CALICO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | MARLBORO | 0 | 5 | $1.0M |
| May 16, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 29, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLACK JACK | 0 | 2 | $30K |
| Apr 24, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Blackjack | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Feb 21, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado spun up just south of Farmville near the intersection of Highway 258 and Highway 264A. The tornado was estimated at EF1 with winds to 90 mph as if lifted rapidly northeast through the eastern sections of Farmville. Numerous homes had significant damage mainly to roofs. Trees and power lines were blown down. The tornado began to weaken north of Farmville as it crossed Highway 264 and lifted near Wesley Church Road. About 1 million dollars of damage occurred with this tornado with 5 minor injuries.
The tornado touched down approximately one mile northeast of Chicod causing EF1 damage to hard and softwood trees. The tornado then caused EF1 to low end EF2 damage with winds estimated to 115 mph as it hit several mobile homes, some of which were destroyed. Farm equipment and outbuildings were damaged along Blackjack-Simpson Road. A tractor trailer was flipped as well before the tornado dissipated across some farm fields. There were no injuries reported with this tornado.
NWS survey revealed an EF-1 tornado with winds estimated between 85 and 90 mph touched down just southeast of Greenville. The tornado was on the ground a little over one half mile and was about one hundred yards wide. The tornado did minor damage to about forty homes off Ashcroft Drive resulting in about two hundred thousand dollars in damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
177,193
Population (ACS)
$209K
Median home value
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Greenville 165
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pitt County, North Carolina?
554 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 11 direct deaths and $31.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pitt County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 254 recorded events — 45.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pitt County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pitt County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pitt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pitt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pitt County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pitt 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
- Person County 338
- Polk County 236
- Perquimans County 144
- Randolph County 622
- Pender County 444
- Richmond County 221
Cite this page
“Pitt County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/pitt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.