381
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Wilkes County, North Carolina: 381 recorded events between 1976 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 83. That places the county #247 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Wilkes County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Wilkes County is the 2010s, when 155 of the county's 381 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 Wilkes County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 58.5% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #247 for this hazard and #9 within North Carolina, putting it in the 92.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Wilkes County with 87 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2013 | MULBERRY | 50 | 1 | 0 | $500 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | ELKIN | 50 | 0 | 1 | $8K |
| Jun 12, 1989 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2025 | BENHAM | 50 | $500 |
| Jul 9, 2025 | THURMOND | 50 | $500 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | WILKESBORO | 55 | $10K |
| Jun 26, 2025 | BENHAM | 70 | $175K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | BOOMER | 50 | $500 |
| Jun 19, 2025 | FERGUSON | 65 | $10K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | MILLERS CREEK | 50 | $2K |
| May 8, 2025 | HUNTING CREEK | 50 | $500 |
| Mar 5, 2025 | BENHAM | 50 | $500 |
| Mar 5, 2025 | NORTH WILKESBORO | 50 | $11K |
Other hazards here
More from Wilkes County
- Hail 139
- Flash Flood 64
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.
Hundreds of trees were blown down or snapped by thunderstorm winds in a downburst near Cool Springs Church Road and Preacher Field Road. Trees fell onto a home, causing significant damage, as well as a separate carport and several sheds. A large area of crops was also flattened by the downburst.
A broad swath of straight wind damage occurred between a location approximately two miles northwest of Pleasant Hill to Pleasant Hill. The damage consisted of mainly uprooted or snapped hardwood trees, with damage to power lines and homes as a result of fallen trees. The storm initially produced tree damage along Little Elkin Church Road and West Walker Road, where dozens of trees were either uprooted or snapped by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to be as high as 90 mph. One uprooted tree fell onto an outbuilding, damaging a shed and a tractor. As the storm moved east, it produced scattered tree damage along Austin Traphill Road and CB Eller School Road. Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to be 90 to 95 mph caused the uplift and collapse of a carport along CB Eller School Road. Along Pleasant Hill Road, and estimated 175 year-old tree was uprooted. The storm began to weaken as it neared the Wilkes/Surry County border. Damage values are estimated.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Wilkes County, North Carolina?
381 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Wilkes County between 1976 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Wilkes County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Wilkes County measured 83.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Wilkes 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 Wilkes County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/wilkes-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.