201
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$523K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Buncombe County, North Carolina: 201 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 75. That places the county #1,021 nationally and #46 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Buncombe County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Buncombe County is the 2000s, when 72 of the county's 201 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Buncombe County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 41.4% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,021 for this hazard and #46 within North Carolina, putting it in the 67.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Buncombe County with 63 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 8, 1984 | 63 | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jun 17, 2022 | BILTMORE | 40 | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 4, 1997 | WOODFIN | 50 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 3, 2011 | SWANNANOA | 60 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2002 | WEAVERVILLE | 50 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 26, 1996 | ASHEVILLE | 50 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | FAIRVIEW | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | NEW BRIDGE | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 11, 2025 | FAIRVIEW | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2025 | NEW BRIDGE | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2025 | JUPITER | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | NEW BRIDGE | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | BLUE RIDGE | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2025 | ACTON | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2025 | BARNARDSVILLE | 50 | $0 |
| May 17, 2025 | LEICESTER | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Buncombe County
- Hail 207
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Media reported multiple trees blown down in the Riceville Community (4 E Asheville), with some trees on homes and one tree falling on a moving vehicle on Lower Grassy Branch Rd. Spotter also reported numerous trees down west of Black|Mountain. The wind damage was the result of outflow from a dissipating line of thunderstorms.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Part of the tin roof was blown off of an auto shop. Part of the roof was blown off of a warehouse, causing a wall to collapse. Numerous power outages were reported in areas from Asheville to Black Mountain.
The first reported wind damage in the episode came from northern Buncombe County. Most of the roof of a house was blown off into the road. The residents reported that all was calm, then rain and wind hit suddenly. The wind flow may have been increased by a funnelling effect through a narrow mountain pass.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Buncombe County, North Carolina?
201 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Buncombe County between 1959 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Buncombe County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Buncombe County measured 75.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Buncombe County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Buncombe County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/buncombe-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.