45
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$4.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Brunswick County, North Carolina: 45 recorded events between 1951 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #479 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Brunswick County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Brunswick County is the 2020s, when 15 of the county's 45 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 Brunswick County archive, tornado makes up 8.5% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #479 for this hazard and #5 within North Carolina, putting it in the 83.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Sep is the peak month for tornado in Brunswick County with 13 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-15 | EF3 | 21.9 mi | 275 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF2 | 8.3 mi | 80 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-09-05 | EF2 | 9.3 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2023-08-30 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF1 | 0.3 mi | 25 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF1 | 2.6 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-03 | EF1 | 1.5 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-05 | EF1 | 2.6 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-15 | EF1 | 4.5 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-02-15 | EF1 | 3.2 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 16, 2021 | GRISSETTOWN | EF3 | 3 | 10 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 2019 | SEASIDE | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $2.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2024 | FT CASWELL | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | REGAN | EF0 | $5K |
| Aug 30, 2023 | EASY HILL | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 2023 | LONG BEACH ARPT | EF0 | $50K |
| Aug 30, 2023 | LONG BEACH ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 30, 2022 | HOLDEN BEACH | EF0 | $0 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | GRISSETTOWN | EF3 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2020 | EASY HILL | EF1 | $200K |
| Aug 4, 2020 | WOODBURN | EF1 | $5K |
| Aug 4, 2020 | PINEY GROVE | EF0 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Brunswick County
- Thunderstorm Wind 148
- Hail 139
- Flash Flood 96
- Flood 40
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.
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.
A tornado touched down just southwest of Highland Shores subdivision |near the Brunswick River before tracking northwest across River Road |and across Jackey's Creek Lane, producing mostly scattered tree damage. |More significant damage was observed as the tornado moved through the |Olde Towne subdivision, including roof damage, a partially collapsed |garage door, and chimney damage. A considerable amount of trees were |also snapped and uprooted along both South Olde Towne Wynd SE and North |Olde Towne Wynd SE. This included multiple large pine trees up to two |feet in diameter. The tornado then appeared to produce spotty tree and |roof damage as it crossed Kingsworth Lane, before ultimately lifting |just north of Chappell Loop Road SE.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Brunswick County, North Carolina?
45 tornado events are recorded in Brunswick County between 1951 and 2024, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Brunswick County?
The strongest tornado on record in Brunswick County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Brunswick 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
“Tornado in Brunswick County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/brunswick-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.