Rockingham County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 745 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #354 nationally and #6 in North Carolina.
745
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
39
Direct injuries
$51.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Rockingham County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rockingham County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 10.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 318 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 694 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rockingham County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $41.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Rockingham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 446 | 0 | $3.7M | 80 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 164 | 0 | $140K | 2.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 0 | $3.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 33 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2021 |
| Tornado | 12 | 2 | $41.6M | F3 | 1967–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Rockingham 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-20 | EF3 | 2 | 27 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 32.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-18 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rockingham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1998 | Tornado | MAYODAN | 2 | 27 | $34.0M |
| Apr 15, 2018 | Tornado | BENAJA | 0 | 5 | $2.2M |
| Jun 2, 2006 | Lightning | WENTWORTH | 0 | 5 | $500K |
| Feb 18, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm produced an EF1 Tornado on the east side of Eden. The tornado was on the ground for approximately six minutes producing damage to trees, at least 25 residential structures, and a minimum of nine commercial structures. The tornado lifted just shy of the North Carolina and Virginia state boundary. Estimated wind speeds peaked around 110 miles per hour.
A tornado touched down southeast of Greensboro in Guilford County shortly after 4:00 PM EST. This tornado later entered Rockingham County about one mile southeast of Haw River near Chrismon Road at 4:25 PM EST. The tornado damaged numerous buildings, outbuildings, and barns. At least twenty homes and farms suffered damage, while one house and two mobile homes were completely destroyed. The Oak Haven Event Center in downtown Ruffin also sustained damage. Countless trees were snapped or uprooted. Estimated maximum wind speeds were 110 MPH. Seven people were injured, including a father and a seven-year-old son who were critically injured in their moving car when it struck a double-wide mobile home that was lifted on to the 1300 block of Grooms Road. The tornado finally lifted at 4:46 PM EST about four miles north-northeast of Ruffin between Dibrell Road and Bradley Road.
The EF-1 tornado touched down in a wooded area just southwest of Sunset View Road, and proceeded northeast producing discontinuous damage along it's path. The tornado dissipated and lifted near the intersection of Crutchfield Road and U.S Highway 29 Business. The majority of direct damage consisted of numerous mature trees either snapped or uprooted, although several homes sustained significant damage due to trees falling on them. One barn sustained minor damage due to roofing material being blown off by the storm.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
92,131
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
25
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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Reidsville 127
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rockingham County, North Carolina?
745 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $51.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rockingham County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 446 recorded events — 59.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rockingham County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rockingham County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rockingham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rockingham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rockingham County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rockingham 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
- Robeson County 643
- Rowan County 518
- Richmond County 221
- Rutherford County 453
- Randolph County 622
- Sampson County 544
Cite this page
“Rockingham County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/rockingham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.