Randolph County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 622 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #531 nationally and #9 in North Carolina.
622
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$27.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Randolph County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Randolph County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 8.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 230 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 576 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Randolph County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $21.1M 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 Randolph County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 425 | 0 | $1.2M | 100 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 110 | 0 | $40K | 2.75 | 1983–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 59 | 0 | $46K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 1 | $4.6M | F3 | 1954–2020 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $38K | 0 | 1999–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $21.1M | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Randolph 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
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-10-07 | EF3 | 1 | 4 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-11-16 | EF2 | 2 | 15 | 12.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-10-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 18.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Randolph County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $25K | |
| Aug 15, 1999 | Lightning | ASHEBORO | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | ASHEBORO | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | SEAGROVE | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Jul 2, 2002 | Lightning | ASHEBORO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Apr 19, 1969 | 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 8 to 10 inches caused widespread flooding across the county. Additional rainfall upstream caused moderate flooding along the Deep River near Ramseur. Significant flooding also ocurred all along the Deep River and Uwharrie River and their tributaries. Flooding damaged approximately 286 structures throughout the county, destroying 12 and resulting in over $21.07 million in property damage. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well. While final losses on crops are not yet tallied, estimates around $10 million or more are possible.
The tornado then crossed into western Randolph County at approximately 6:23 pm EST. Numerous homes in the Welborne Ridge Court subdivision were damaged. Damage here was mostly to roofs and siding. A travel trailer inside the mobile home park was flipped over and a nearby pickup truck was blown between 50 and 75 feet. A wooden outbuilding was also destroyed. Damage within the subdivision was consistent with EF-1 tornado intensity.||The last observed tornado damage and end point of the tornado track was to a barn on Finch Farm Road. Damage to the barn was consistent with that of the nearby Welborne Ridge Court Subdivision.||In total, more than a dozen structures were damaged in Randolph County.
An EF-1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 100 mph touched down just west of State Route 2442. An unoccupied large chicken house was completely destroyed, with debris carried over a half mile away and lofted sufficiently to produce a tornado debris signature on the KRAX WSR-88D radar. In addition, a large farm outbuilding was shifted and twisted off of it's foundation. A detached four bay garage had the doors blown in and subsequently collapsed. The tornado then crossed State Route 2442 and caused substantial tree damage and then lifted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
146,348
Population (ACS)
$197K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
| May 8, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Asheboro 115
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Randolph County, North Carolina?
622 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $27.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Randolph County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 425 recorded events — 68.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Randolph County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Randolph County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Randolph County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Randolph County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Randolph County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Randolph 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
- Polk County 236
- Richmond County 221
- Pitt County 554
- Robeson County 643
- Person County 338
- Rockingham County 745
Cite this page
“Randolph County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/randolph-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.