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Washington County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 133 recorded events between 1970 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,769 nationally and #94 in North Carolina.
133
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$1.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 39 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 119 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, North Carolina record is flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $950K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 82 | 0 | $90K | 65 | 1970–2026 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1991–2024 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $950K | F2 | 1973–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Flood | 2 | 5 | $10K | 0 | 2009–2010 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Washington 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: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-09-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 54.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-09-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2010 | Flood | SCUPPERNONG | 5 | 0 | $10K |
| May 16, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Nov 17, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several days of very heavy rain led to widespread flooding across Washington County. Numerous small streams flooded causing many acres of crops to be damaged. High water did minor damage to a few homes along Highway 64 from near Plymouth to Scuppernong. Five deaths, near Creswell on the 30th, were directly attributed to the flooding. The crash occurred on U.S. 64, west of Creswell, just after noon. The vehicle hydroplaned on the highway, then went off the right side of the road. The vehicle then ran down a small hill, hit an embankment and flipped over into a flooded canal where the occupants drowned.
A damage survey found evidence of a microburst due to a severe thunderstorm. Several large tree limbs were snapped, and a few trees blown down, including one that fell on a pickup truck. Extensive crop damage was found in the area as well.
A brief tornado touched down near the town of Roper, NC, very near exit 548 on the south side of Highway 64. The tornado destroyed a hog farm building of Summerset Farms, just off of Northline Rd. The metal truss of the building was completely removed, and thrown into the adjacent farm field with the debris path extending 0.40 miles northeastward to the edge of Highway 64. Most of the debris consisted of sheet metal roofing. The damage was consistent with EF0 tornado damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,812
Population (ACS)
$126K
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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, North Carolina?
133 events are on record between 1970 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $1.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 82 recorded events — 61.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 60 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Warren County 216
- Watauga County 345
- Wake County 1,516
- Wayne County 518
- Vance County 209
- Wilkes County 651
Cite this page
“Washington County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.