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Wilson County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 354 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,463 nationally and #53 in North Carolina.
354
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$43.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Wilson County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wilson County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 31 events fall before 1990 and 323 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wilson County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $32.3M 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 Wilson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 205 | 0 | $803K | 87 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 69 | 0 | $15K | 2 | 1980–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 49 | 0 | $357K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 20 | 2 | $9.4M | F3 | 1953–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $720K | 0 | 2005–2011 |
| Flood | 1 | 2 | $32.3M | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Wilson 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
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-22 | EF3 | 2 | 60 | 85.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-08-08 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-11-15 | EF3 | 1 | 4 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-23 | EF3 | 0 | 44 | 160.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-11-08 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 46.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-03-15 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 30.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-11-15 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 4.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-03-16 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wilson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2016 | Flood | ELM CITY | 2 | 0 | $32.3M |
| Nov 15, 2008 | Tornado | WILSON | 1 | 4 | $1.0M |
| Aug 8, 2024 | Tornado | BLACK CREEK | 1 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | LUCAMA | 0 | 10 | $3.0M |
| May 3, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILSON | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| Sep 20, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 5, 2009 | Tornado | BUCKHORN XRDS | 0 | 1 | $1.5M |
| Oct 15, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | SARATOGA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rainfall of 9 to 12 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Additional heavy rainfall upstream caused major flooding along the Tar River Basin, and along Contentnea Creek. Flooding damaged approximately 1,174 structures throughout the county, resulting in $32.3 million in property damage, and $20 million in crop damage. Numerous streets and roads were reported flooded, with several washouts reported on secondary roads. The flooding resulted in 2 direct fatalities. A 51 year old female died when the car she was driving was swept off the road in rushing floodwaters along N.C. Highway 581 between Renfro Road and Rock Ridge. A 65year old male died when his car was swept away by swift water in a creek near the 6400 block of Good News Church Road near Saratoga.
A tornado touched down near Hwy 301 about 2 WNW Black Creek then proceeded NW for approximately 6.5 miles before lifting 4 WNW Lucama. Numerous trees were snapped and several homes were severely damaged along Scott Church Rd. One home has considerable roof damage with roofing covering removed. The tornado continued |NW and did severe damage to Springfield Middle School where several sections of the roof were completely removed and several exterior and load bearing walls were blown out. At this location, wind was estimated to be 140 mph, which puts this tornado at the |EF-3 level on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado continued moving to the northwest, and along Lloyd Road a two story home completely collapsed after all four walls were blown over. It was here that one fatality occurred. The winds at this location were estimated to be 140 mph. The tornado lifted shortly after crossing Governor Hunt Rd, where a barn was destroyed and numerous trees were snapped and uprooted.
A weak and short-lived tornado associated with Florence touched down southwest of Elm City, NC just after dawn on September 17th, 2018. The tornado remained on the ground for roughly 1.2 miles, producing intermittent damage to primarily hardwood trees and under brush. Uprooted and snapped trees fell onto several cars and |structures along the tornado path, with damage ending gradually on the northwest end of town. Property damages were estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
79,290
Population (ACS)
$186K
Median home value
28
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 |
| Mar 3, 2021 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wilson 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wilson County, North Carolina?
354 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $43.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wilson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 205 recorded events — 57.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wilson County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wilson County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wilson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wilson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wilson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wilson 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
- Wilkes County 651
- Yadkin County 338
- Wayne County 518
- Yancey County 106
- Watauga County 345
- Washington County 133
Cite this page
“Wilson County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/wilson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.