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Bertie County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 221 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,314 nationally and #75 in North Carolina.
221
Recorded events
21
Direct deaths
111
Direct injuries
$44.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Bertie County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bertie County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 56 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 184 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bertie County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 20 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bertie County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 93 | 0 | $395K | 78 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 38 | 0 | $97K | 4.25 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 20 | $34.3M | F3 | 1952–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 1 | $5K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $10.0M | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Bertie 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
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 28 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 12 | 58 | 17.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 6 | 19 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF3 | 2 | 14 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-23 | EF3 | 0 | 44 | 160.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-11-08 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 46.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 35.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bertie County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | ASKEWVILLE | 12 | 55 | $2.3M |
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 6 | 19 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 4, 2020 | Tornado | WOODARD | 2 | 14 | $1.0M |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | COLERAIN | 0 | 8 | $250K |
| May 10, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| May 11, 2008 | Tornado | LEWISTON | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
| Nov 12, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kelford | 0 | 2 | $125K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado first touched down about one mile south of Askewville (east of U.S. Rt. 13), producing minor tree and building damage. The tornado began producing significant damage on the east side of Askewville, where numerous structures and several mobile homes sustained major damage or were destroyed. The tornado then tracked continuously for nearly 19 miles finally lifting east of Harrellsville. For much of the tornado's life, the path width was one half to nearly three quarters of a mile wide. EF2 and EF3 damage was widespread from just east of Askewville northeast to about 3 miles west of Colerain, then gradually decreased as the tornado crossed into Hertford county. Numerous homes were destroyed, and many others suffered varying degrees of damage. In addition, there was extensive damage to trees and wooded areas in the path of the tornado. A split in the tornado damage paths just north of Colerain suggests that the tornado underwent a cyclic re-development with 2 tornadoes on the ground simultaneously for a period of about 5 miles.
A damage survey conducted by the NWS Wakefield office found a path of storm damage consistent with an EF3 tornado. The tornado touched down near the intersection of Knowles Lane and Middle Track Road. It then tracked to the north northwest and reached its strongest point just south of the town of Woodard as it crossed Morning Road, where its width increased to just over one third of a mile and it reached EF3 intensity. The tornado completely destroyed several mobile homes and stick built houses in this area. It flattened seven single-wide and double-wide mobile homes, leaving unrecognizable bits of debris. The fatalities and injuries occurred in the vicinity of Morning Road. The tornado weakened to EF1 intensity as it approached the west side of the town of Windsor, but it did damage a farm on Highway 306. The tornado then lifted just before reaching Governors Road about 2 miles northwest of Windsor.
Numerous homes and businesses were flooded and damaged in and around Windsor, due to heavy rain from Post Tropical Cyclone Matthew causing the Cashie River to exceed major flood stage. Numerous roads were flooded and closed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,170
Population (ACS)
$99K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
| Oct 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bertie County, North Carolina?
221 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 21 direct deaths and $44.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bertie County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 93 recorded events — 42.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bertie County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 28 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bertie County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bertie County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bertie County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bertie County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bertie 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
- Beaufort County 397
- Bladen County 556
- Avery County 154
- Brunswick County 532
- Ashe County 283
- Buncombe County 486
Cite this page
“Bertie County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/bertie-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.