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Brunswick County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 532 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 27.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #777 nationally and #22 in North Carolina.
532
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$12.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Brunswick County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Brunswick County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 182 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 485 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Brunswick County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $5.5M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Brunswick County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $688K | 98 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 139 | 0 | $48K | 2 | 1979–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 96 | 0 | $5.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 3 | $4.2M | F2 | 1951–2024 |
| Flood | 40 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Lightning | 30 | 1 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 24 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Waterspout | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1998 |
Decade by decade
Brunswick 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
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-15 | EF3 | 3 | 10 | 21.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-09-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-02-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Brunswick County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 16, 2021 | Tornado | GRISSETTOWN | 3 | 10 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2004 | Lightning | SHALLOTTE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 2019 | Tornado | SEASIDE | 0 | 1 | $2.0M |
| Jun 15, 2014 | Lightning | VARNUM | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Aug 20, 2013 | Lightning | EASY HILL | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| Jul 1, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOLDEN BEACH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The survey team found significant damage to swaths of vegetation which|started near the East Beach area of Bald Head Island where a|strong waterspout moved onshore. The tornado also caused damage|to homes including roof loss and blown in windows as it moved |toward the northwest. The tornado moved across Bald Head Creek |into the Dogwood Ridge Trail area where some of the most extensive |damage was found. The tornado then crossed portions of Cape Creek |and across the Cape Fear River coming ashore again near West Bay St. |The tornado caused damage to homes and especially trees from W. West |St. to W. 9th St., Robet Ruak Dr., and Bonner Bussells Dr. SE, prior to |lifting near Dutchman Creek Outlet Channel.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy, in conjunction with a weak upper level disturbance in the Caribbean set up an unusually long and sustained fetch of tropical moisture over the area. The heaviest rain occurred near the coast, where seven to nine inches of rain fell on average over a three day period. Even more rain fell over eastern Brunswick and New Hanover county, where over a foot of rain fell. Over 50 roads in Brunswick county alone were either partially or completely impassable. In New Hanover county, the Cape Fear Museum's basement was completely flooded. Over 46,000 rare artifacts were stored in this area. Many residencial areas had roads replaced by small lakes, with numerous homes and some businesses sustaining minor to moderate flood damage. In Robeson county, State Highway 130 was barricaded due to high water. Pender county also saw flooding, with portions of Highway 117 under water. Much of the monetary damages were due to debris cleanup, road repair, and water damage to homes and businesses.
Tornado took roof off a mobile home in the Longwood area. Tornado then moved east across the road and damaged some playground equipment by a school, shifted a mobile home off its footings, jumped over a house and then destroyed another mobile home.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
152,568
Population (ACS)
$350K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 3, 2025 | Fire | SUNSET DRIVE FIRE | FM |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Tropical Storm | POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE EIGHT | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Oct 1, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Brunswick County, North Carolina?
532 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $12.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Brunswick County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 27.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Brunswick County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Brunswick County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Brunswick County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Brunswick County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Brunswick County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Brunswick 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
- Bladen County 556
- Buncombe County 486
- Bertie County 221
- Burke County 588
- Beaufort County 397
- Cabarrus County 456
Cite this page
“Brunswick County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/brunswick-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.