Cleveland County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 521 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #803 nationally and #24 in North Carolina.
521
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
48
Direct injuries
$33.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Cleveland County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cleveland County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 8.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 175 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 481 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $27.5M 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 Cleveland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 276 | 0 | $876K | 75 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 168 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1967–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $27.5M | F4 | 1973–2024 |
| Lightning | 25 | 0 | $936K | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $350K | 0 | 2003–2009 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 2002–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Cleveland 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: 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-05 | EF4 | 4 | 52 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 40 | 60.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-02-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 13 | 45.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-02-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 21.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-02-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 21.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cleveland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 30 | $25.0M | |
| Aug 5, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | SHELBY | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | Tornado | BEAM MILL | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| May 28, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jan 12, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOILING SPGS | 0 | 1 | $1K |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Lightning | LAWNDALE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2003 | Lightning | KINGS MTN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2003 | Lightning | SHELBY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A stream gauge on the Broad River near Boiling Springs indicated flash flooding developed after extremely rainfall occurred upstream across the mountains over three days, with 4 to 8 inches fell over Cleveland Country during that time. The main impacts during this time were near Abes Mountain Rd, where numerous homes were inundated and damaged. Otherwise, numerous roads, greenway spaces, and some campgrounds were flooded. Although heavy rainfall and flash flooding ended across the area by early afternoon of the 27th, major river flooding continued along the Broad through the 28th. The river did not return to its banks until the morning of the 29th.
Although heavy rain tapered off across western North Carolina during the afternoon, moderate flooding persisted along the Broad River near Boiling Springs through the remainder of the 6th into the first half of the 7th. Multiple roads were inundated along the river, as were several homes, particularly in the Abes Mountain Rd area. The stream gauge at Boiling Springs reached its highest level since September of 2004.
NWS storm survey found an EF2 tornado damage path that began near the intersection of Battleground Rd and I-85. Trees were snapped and uprooted along the path as it moved east to near the intersection of Dixon School Rd and Bethlehem Rd. Here a couple of homes were damaged. Just east of there the strongest damage was found as a couple of high tension electrical transmission towers were blown down. The tornado weakened as it moved east snapping and uprooting trees as it crossed York Rd before moving into Gaston County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
100,991
Population (ACS)
$200K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
| May 8, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Shelby 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cleveland County, North Carolina?
521 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $33.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cleveland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 276 recorded events — 53.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cleveland County?
31 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 Cleveland County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cleveland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cleveland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cleveland County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cleveland 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
- Clay County 123
- Columbus County 568
- Chowan County 146
- Craven County 553
- Cherokee County 256
- Cumberland County 589
Cite this page
“Cleveland County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/cleveland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.