Wilkes County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 651 recorded events between 1973 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #475 nationally and #7 in North Carolina.
651
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$12.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Wilkes County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wilkes County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 12.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 250 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 36 events fall before 1990 and 615 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wilkes County, North Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.5M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wilkes County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 381 | 1 | $1.7M | 83 | 1976–2025 |
| Hail | 139 | 0 | $4K | 2.75 | 1984–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 64 | 0 | $7.5M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 18 | 0 | $711K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2020 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $2.9M | F1 | 1973–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2020–2020 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Wilkes 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
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-09-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 32.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wilkes County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | MULBERRY | 1 | 0 | $500 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELKIN | 0 | 1 | $8K |
| Oct 23, 2017 | Tornado | WILKESBORO | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Jun 12, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms along a squall line downed a large white pine tree at a residence along Mountain Valley Church Road as the line crossed the area west of Mulberry. The tree fell on an elderly man as he was walking across his yard. Damage values are estimated.
Moravian Creek flooded and closed Germantown Road near Moravian Falls, and School Street in Wilkesboro. Twenty-seven people were evacuated from their homes along Moravian Creek, near Germantown Road, and six mobile homes were destroyed. Wilkesboro Community College received damage from the flooding of Moravian Creek. The grounds were heavily damaged, as was several buildings. The flooded creek eventually led to the collapse of a 150 foot long, 20 foot wide section of U.S. Highway 421 East exit ramp lane in Wilkesboro, which occurred during the early morning of May 27th. Monetary damages include this road collapse.
A tornado touched down in Wilkesboro at 411 PM EST near the intersection of East Main and Salem Streets. It would move north for over eight miles before lifting at Yellow Banks Road west of Hays at 420 PM EST. Multiple structures in Wilkesboro received significant damage. The following morning, Duke Energy which supplies power to much of the County indicated that over 23,000 customers were still without power. There was one injury, which resulted from a tree falling on a one-story home which caused a resident to be hit in the head by debris. Dozens of trees and power poles were reported down. The tornado max width was 275 yards and maintained EF1 (86-110 MPH) strength through much of its lifespan.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
65,935
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
22
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wilkes County, North Carolina?
651 events are on record between 1973 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $12.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wilkes County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 381 recorded events — 58.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wilkes County?
12 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 Wilkes County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wilkes County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wilkes County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wilkes County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wilkes 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
- Wayne County 518
- Wilson County 354
- Watauga County 345
- Yadkin County 338
- Washington County 133
- Yancey County 106
Cite this page
“Wilkes County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/wilkes-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.