Caldwell County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 374 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,362 nationally and #49 in North Carolina.
374
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$44.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Caldwell County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Caldwell County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 162 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 349 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Caldwell County, North Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $41.2M 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 Caldwell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 1 | $666K | 80 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 127 | 0 | $51K | 2 | 1974–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 63 | 0 | $41.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $43K | 0 | 2013–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $2.0M | F4 | 1973–2017 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $295K | 0 | 1997–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Caldwell 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: 12 touched down inside it and 1 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 | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Caldwell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | YADKIN VLY | 1 | 2 | $5K |
| Jun 27, 2008 | Lightning | LENOIR | 0 | 8 | $0 |
| May 7, 1998 | Tornado | DUDLEY SHOALS | 0 | 2 | $1.1M |
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | SAW MILLS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Flash Flood | MORTIMER | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Jun 27, 2010 | Lightning | HUDSON | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
EM reported a large tree was blown down on a vehicle in Green Mountain Park killing a 78-year-old occupant and causing minor injuries to two others. A few other trees were blown down in Lenoir and areas just east of the city.
Stream gauges indicated flash flooding developed across western Caldwell County, particularly Johns River, Yadkin River and their tributaries after 7-12 inches fell across the western half of the county over three days. Flash flooding first developed along Wilson Creek, followed by flooding developing downstream along Johns River. After briefly subsiding during the evening, flash flooding rapidly redeveloped and became catastrophic as tropical rainbands around the remnant center of Helene swept across the area around sunrise. In addition to Wilson Creek and Johns River, major flash flooding also developed along the Yadkin River during this time. Hundreds of structures and roads were inundated and damaged or destroyed throughout the area. Several landslides were also discovered, primarily near the Avery and Watuaga County lines.
A violent, F4 tornado touched down near Dudley Shoals then moved east-southeast cutting a winding path through valleys, to the Alexander county border. The damage path was 100 yards wide on average, but reached a width of 3/4 of a mile at times. One well-constructed home was totally destroyed, other homes were damaged, and many mobile homes sustained damage or were destroyed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
80,536
Population (ACS)
$192K
Median home value
23
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lenoir 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Caldwell County, North Carolina?
374 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $44.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Caldwell County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 39.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Caldwell County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Caldwell County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Caldwell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Caldwell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Caldwell County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Caldwell 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
- Cabarrus County 456
- Camden County 122
- Burke County 588
- Carteret County 461
- Buncombe County 486
- Caswell County 376
Cite this page
“Caldwell County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/caldwell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.