253
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Rutherford County, North Carolina: 253 recorded events between 1964 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 70. That places the county #673 nationally and #34 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Rutherford County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Rutherford County is the 2010s, when 93 of the county's 253 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 Rutherford County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 55.8% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #673 for this hazard and #34 within North Carolina, putting it in the 78.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Rutherford County with 85 recorded events, while Dec 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2011 | WHITEHOUSE | 60 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2013 | GILKEY | 50 | 1 | 1 | $15K |
| Apr 5, 2011 | RUTHERFORDTON | 55 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2002 | CAROLEEN | 55 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | HARRIS SPICERS ARPT | 50 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 2025 | HARRIS SPICERS ARPT | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | GILKEY | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | BOSTIC | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | RUTHERFORDTON | 50 | $0 |
| Feb 16, 2025 | SUNSHINE | 50 | $0 |
| Dec 29, 2024 | HARRIS | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2024 | FOREST CITY | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | HARRIS SPICERS ARPT | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2024 | SUNSHINE | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Rutherford County
- Hail 131
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several trees were blown down in the Green Hill community. One large tree fell on a vehicle traveling along highway 64/74 near Green Hill, destroying the vehicle and causing serious injuries to the two occupants. The 66-year-old male driver died from his injuries several days later.
Public reported a tree blown down near Lake Lure Dam (1.5 ESE Lake Lure) and another tree down on power lines near the intersection of Pheasant St and Redbird Dr (2.5 ESE). A spotter reported a tree blown down on a house in the Green Hill community, and trees blown down on Thunder Rd (2 S Rutherfordton).
Multiple trees were blown down across the central and western part of the county, from the north side of Rutherfordton, to between Forest City and Rutherfordton, to just south of Rutherfordton. One fallen tree ruptured a gas line on Oscar Justice Rd.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Rutherford County, North Carolina?
253 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Rutherford County between 1964 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Rutherford County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Rutherford County measured 70.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Rutherford 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 Rutherford County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/rutherford-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.