Transylvania County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 276 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 33.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,922 nationally and #62 in North Carolina.
276
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$64.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Transylvania County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Transylvania County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 114 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 255 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $61.8M 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 Transylvania County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 91 | 0 | $70K | 2.75 | 1970–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 83 | 0 | $79K | 55 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 45 | 0 | $61.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 38 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $835K | 0 | 1999–2016 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $300K | F2 | 1974–1984 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2011 |
Decade by decade
Transylvania 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
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-01-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Transylvania County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 8, 1998 | Flash Flood | ROSMAN | 0 | 10 | $1.5M |
| Jul 27, 1999 | Lightning | BREVARD | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 2011 | Lightning | BREVARD | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2003 | Lightning | SAPPHIRE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Stream gauges indicated and an NWS flood survey confirmed significant flash flooding developed near the upper reaches of the French Broad River after as much as a foot of rain fell in the headwaters in less than six hours. Multiple structures along the river were inundated in the town of Rosman, including on Depot St, Highway 178, Main St, and Chestnut St. This was the worst flooding along this portion of the French Broad in almost 30 years, while the stream gauge at Rosman registered its 4th-highest level on record. (Continuous observations at that site date back to 1935). Newspaper reported significant flash flooding also occurred upstream of Rosman along the North Fork of the French Broad in the Balsam Grove community, where vehicles were swept downstream and multiple structures were damaged or destroyed. In addition, flash flooding developed along the Davidson River in Pisgah Forest, briefly inundating portions of Davidson River Rd and Deavor Rd.
Stream gauges indicated significant flash flooding developed for the second day in a row near the upper reaches of the French Broad River after 3 to 6 inches of rain fell in the headwaters in just a few hours. This was on top of the 6-12 inches that fell durimg the morning of the 16th. Flooding was slightly worse in the Rosman and Balsam Grove area than what was observed on the 16th, with the stream gauge at Rosman reaching its second highest level on record (4 October 1964). Multiple structures along the river were once again inundated, including on Depot St, Highway 178, Main St, and Chestnut St in Rosman. Flash flooding again developed along the Davidson River in the Pisgah Forest area, overflowing portions of Davidson River Rd and Deavor Rd and inundating several businesses near the intersection of Highways 64 and 276.
Excessive rain in conjunction with significant flooding of the French Broad and North Transylvania Rivers resulted in 40 to 50 mobile homes and 2 bridges destroyed. In addition, 34 roads were under water through noon on the 8th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,691
Population (ACS)
$374K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 27, 2025 | Fire | TABLE ROCK FIRE | FM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Sep 8, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM FRED | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Transylvania County, North Carolina?
276 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $64.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Transylvania County?
Hail, with 91 recorded events — 33.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Transylvania County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Transylvania County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Transylvania County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Transylvania County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Transylvania County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Transylvania 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
- Swain County 134
- Tyrrell County 86
- Surry County 758
- Union County 502
- Stokes County 488
- Vance County 209
Cite this page
“Transylvania County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/transylvania-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.