44
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
Heavy Rain in New Hanover County, North Carolina: 44 recorded events between 2000 and 2023. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #109 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Heavy Rain in New Hanover County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for heavy rain in New Hanover County is the 2000s, when 31 of the county's 44 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 New Hanover County archive, heavy rain makes up 7.3% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #109 for this hazard and #1 within North Carolina, putting it in the 95.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for heavy rain in New Hanover County with 12 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2000 | WILMINGTON | 0 | 0 | 2 | $5K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2023 | NEW BERN JCT | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2023 | SOUTH WILMINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2013 | WILMINGTON | 0 | $2K |
| Aug 17, 2013 | MASONBORO | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2013 | MYRTLE GROVE | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2013 | WILMINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 26, 2012 | CAROLINA BEACH | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 19, 2012 | MURRAYSVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2010 | WILMINGTON | 0 | $150K |
| Sep 27, 2010 | FERNSIDE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from New Hanover County
- Thunderstorm Wind 175
- Flash Flood 113
- Hail 112
- Flood 62
- Lightning 41
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall amounts of three to four inches produced street flooding in Wilmington and Carolina Beach. Market Street had flooding between College Road and Gorden Road. Many businesses had standing water in their parking lots, with one business sustaining minor water damage. In Carolina Beach, moderate street flooding was observed, with a section of Lake Park Boulevard closed.
Heavy rainfall produced multiple reports of flooded cars and flooded streets. There were several stalled cars on Racine Drive with standing water up to the hoods of the vehicles, and cars were stranded at the 1000 block of Rankin Drive and Wagner Drive.
Heavy rain on already saturated soil caused street flooding over much of Wilmington. Old Mill road was under 4 feet of water, with scattered flooding reported in North Chase and other subdivisions north of Market Street. Burnt Mill Creek breached its banks and flooded a large part of Mary Bridge Park off Princess Place Drive.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many heavy rain events are on record in New Hanover County, North Carolina?
44 heavy rain events are recorded in New Hanover County between 2000 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest heavy rain recorded in New Hanover County?
The strongest heavy rain on record in New Hanover County measured 0.
Where does the heavy rain data for New Hanover 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
“Heavy Rain in New Hanover County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/new-hanover-county/heavy-rain/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.