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Wake County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 1,516 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #35 nationally and #1 in North Carolina.
1,516
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
235
Direct injuries
$564.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Wake County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wake County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 19.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 460 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 126 events fall before 1990 and 1,390 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wake County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $371.3M 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 Wake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 727 | 2 | $5.1M | 75 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 393 | 0 | $110.0M | 4 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 280 | 1 | $70.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 41 | 4 | $2.7M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Tornado | 40 | 7 | $371.3M | F4 | 1950–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $5.1M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Wake 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
38 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-11-27 | EF4 | 4 | 154 | 83.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 6 | 103 | 65.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-11-02 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 64.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-13 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wake County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | BURT | 4 | 67 | $115.0M |
| Nov 28, 1988 | Tornado | 2 | 105 | $250.0M | |
| Jan 11, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEUSE | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| May 5, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILLOW SPGS | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 28, 2018 | Lightning | KNIGHTDALE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 12, 2020 | Flash Flood | ROLESVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2015 | Lightning | MACEDONIA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2005 | Lightning | KNIGHTDALE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A supercell thunderstorm tracked across portions of southern Wake County into central Johnston County. The thunderstorm produced hail ranging from golf ball size to baseball size hail. The hail caused extensive damage to homes, cars, buildings and businesses in its path. Several car dealerships has substantial damage done to cars on their lots and many homeowners had broken winds and significant roof and siding damage.
Heavy rainfall of 7 to 10 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Roads all throughout the county were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well, with numerous water rescues from people trapped in homes and vehicles. Flooding damaged approximately 2503 structures throughout the county, resulting in $65.5 million in property damage.
Torrential rainfall of 8 to 10 inches caused widespread flooding across the county, which caused flooding along the creeks and other tributaries of the Neuse River Basin. Water being held in both Lake Jordan and Falls Lake resulted in flooding along the lake perimeters. Flooding caused over $20 million in crop damages. Numerous streets and roads were flooded. Final property damage estimates are still be tallied, but estimates of $5 to $10 million or more are possible.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,178,653
Population (ACS)
$461K
Median home value
26
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
- Raleigh 277
- Millbrook 143
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wake County, North Carolina?
1,516 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $564.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wake County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 727 recorded events — 48.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wake County?
38 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wake County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wake County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wake 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
- Vance County 209
- Warren County 216
- Union County 502
- Washington County 133
- Tyrrell County 86
- Watauga County 345
Cite this page
“Wake County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/wake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.