Rowan County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 518 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #813 nationally and #25 in North Carolina.
518
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$5.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Rowan County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rowan County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 167 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 60 events fall before 1990 and 458 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $2.8M 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 Rowan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 340 | 0 | $2.8M | 84 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 111 | 0 | $75K | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 29 | 0 | $284K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $2.0M | F2 | 1965–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $439K | 0 | 1999–2012 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $32K | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 2003–2012 |
Decade by decade
Rowan 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
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-01-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 36.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-02-25 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-01-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rowan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALISBURY | 0 | 3 | $10K |
| Jul 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALISBURY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Feb 25, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 13, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALISBURY | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jun 19, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALISBURY | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| May 16, 2010 | Lightning | WOODLEAF | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | SALISBURY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Significant microburst damage occurred in the China Grove area, with major structural damage occurring to two buildings at a business on North Main St. The roof was blown off one building and a brick warehouse behind the business collapsed.
Spotters and utility company reported multiple trees blown down east through south of Spencer, including on Cranford Rd and Long Ferry Rd, where a tree was down on a house. Emergency manager reported numerous trees down on the south side of High Rock Lake, including at Saint Matthews Church Rd and Lakeshore Dr. Several trees were down on houses and manufactured homes in this area, with some receiving extensive damage.
County comms reported multiple trees blown down across the west and north side of downtown Salisbury, with trees on homes on Main St, Craige St, and Ellis St. The Ellis St house was destroyed. Additional trees were down in Spencer.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
149,875
Population (ACS)
$238K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | 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 |
| Mar 3, 2021 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Salisbury 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rowan County, North Carolina?
518 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rowan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 340 recorded events — 65.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rowan County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rowan County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rowan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rowan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rowan County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rowan 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
- Rockingham County 745
- Rutherford County 453
- Robeson County 643
- Sampson County 544
- Richmond County 221
- Scotland County 237
Cite this page
“Rowan County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/rowan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.