Alexander County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 228 recorded events between 1963 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,264 nationally and #73 in North Carolina.
228
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$4.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Alexander County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Alexander County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 79 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 213 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Alexander County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Alexander County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 129 | 0 | $1.5M | 75 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1974–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 6 | $374K | 0 | 2003–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $1.6M | F2 | 1992–2022 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $565K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Flood | 2 | 1 | $101K | 0 | 2019–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Alexander 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-07 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-03-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Alexander County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 12, 2020 | Flash Flood | VASHTI | 5 | 0 | $350K |
| Jul 16, 2023 | Flash Flood | ALL HEALING SPGS | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Nov 12, 2020 | Flood | VASHTI | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| Jun 20, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | STONY PT | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jul 12, 2025 | Lightning | TAYLORSVILLE ARPT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency manager reported major flash flooding developed throughout Alexander County after up to 9 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, with around half of that falling in a 3-hour period prior to daybreak on the 12th. The most significant flooding occurred along the South Yadkin River in the Hiddenite area. Multiple recreational vehicles and campers were swept down the river from a campground off Princess Ln. Five people, ages ranging from 1 to 76, drowned and 31 more people required rescue from rapidly rising flood water. Otherwise, most of the creeks and streams in the central and northeast part of the county overflowed onto at least one road, with more than 50 roads closed at some point during the event.
Although heavy rainfall tapered off across Alexander County throughout the morning, runoff from the earlier excessive rain continued to cause elevated stream levels and localized high water conditions to persist into the afternoon. A portion of a bridge over the South Yadkin collapsed on Cheatham Ford Rd during this time. Part of another bridge was washed out on Hopewell Church Rd (over Mill Creek). A 64-year-old man was killed when he drove his vehicle over the collapsed bridge. At least two other bridges were also compromised.
Fire dept reported flash flooding developed along Duck Creek after 4 to 6 inches of rain fell in just a few hours along the Caldwell/Alexander County line. Two individuals were swept down the creek when they fled their vehicle after driving into flood water at Duck Creek Dr and Dover Church Rd. A 49-year old woman drowned while the other person was rescued. At least one road was washed out in the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,412
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Mar 3, 2021 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Alexander County, North Carolina?
228 events are on record between 1963 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths and $4.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Alexander County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 129 recorded events — 56.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Alexander County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Alexander County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Alexander County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Alexander County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Alexander County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Alexander 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
- Alamance County 414
- Alleghany County 143
- Anson County 297
- Ashe County 283
- Avery County 154
- Beaufort County 397
Cite this page
“Alexander County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/alexander-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.