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Bladen County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 556 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #701 nationally and #16 in North Carolina.
556
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$48.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Bladen County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bladen County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 206 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 518 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bladen County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $30.5M 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 Bladen County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 284 | 0 | $2.0M | 78 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 166 | 0 | $50K | 2.75 | 1978–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 48 | 2 | $15.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 5 | $30.5M | F3 | 1960–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $136K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2003–2013 |
Decade by decade
Bladen 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
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 12 | 101 | 40.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 3 | 13 | 29.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-09-29 | EF2 | 3 | 12 | 85.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-07-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 54.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bladen County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | LIVE OAK | 3 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Oct 8, 2016 | Flash Flood | LISBON | 2 | 0 | $75K |
| Jan 7, 1995 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $100K | |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | BLADENBORO ARPT | 1 | 0 | $3.1M |
| Apr 16, 1999 | Tornado | TAR HEEL | 0 | 5 | $200K |
| Jul 12, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELIZABETHTOWN | 0 | 3 | $4K |
| Mar 3, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 15, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLADENBORO ARPT | 0 | 1 | $48K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A vehicle with three occupants was swept away in a road washout on Rosindale Road between Coley Road and Old Tram Road. Two of the occupants died in the flood waters. A portion of Rosindale Road was closed due to flooding. A few nearby structures were impacted by the flood waters.
Heavy rains from Hurricane Floyd accumulated around 20 inches and caused the worst flooding in county history. High water closed many roads including U.S. 701 and N.C. 210, 41, 53 and 87…isolating much of the area and inundating low-lying areas. The Kelly-Rowan area was affected first, and gradually more than 300 structures were flooded across the county. The Bladenboro business district had waist-deep water that affected 10 businesses and many residences. About 50% of the crops were lost, and hog waste contributed to pollution.
Hwy 701 was closed in both directions. Extensive flooding was also reported on Elkton Road near Clarkton. Flooding was also reported on Mercer Mill and Brown Marsh Road. Another road was washed out at Burney Ford Rd. Hwy 211 was closed due to flooding in Clarkton.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
29,566
Population (ACS)
$135K
Median home value
27
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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bladen County, North Carolina?
556 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $48.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bladen County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 284 recorded events — 51.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bladen County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bladen County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bladen County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bladen County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bladen County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bladen 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
- Bertie County 221
- Brunswick County 532
- Beaufort County 397
- Buncombe County 486
- Avery County 154
- Burke County 588
Cite this page
“Bladen County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/bladen-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.