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Dare County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 326 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,633 nationally and #57 in North Carolina.
326
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$6.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Dare County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dare County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 57 events fall before 1990 and 269 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dare County, North Carolina record is rip current, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.4M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dare County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 171 | 0 | $701K | 95 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 54 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1976–2025 |
| Tornado | 40 | 1 | $5.4M | F3 | 1952–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Waterspout | 11 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1996–1999 |
| Lightning | 9 | 3 | $552K | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2012 |
| Rip Current | 5 | 5 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2012 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Dare 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
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-07-31 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dare County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2002 | Lightning | HATTERAS | 1 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 1978 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $250K | |
| Aug 23, 2019 | Lightning | KITTY HAWK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2009 | Lightning | DUCK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2005 | Rip Current | NAGS HEAD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2005 | Rip Current | KILL DEVIL HILLS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2004 | Rip Current | NAGS HEAD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 4, 2003 | Rip Current | (HAT)CAPE HATTERAS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The police in Kitty Hawk, NC said that on August 23rd, 2019 around 1:50 PM LST in the 3800 block of North Virginia Dare Trail, in Kitty Hawk, a man was struck by lightning while near shore in the water, throwing a frisbee with friends. After the strike he was face down in the water, and his friends brought him in and performed CPR until a lifeguard arrived. The man was transported to a hospital and died several weeks later. His death occurred around or near September 11th, 2019 according to local news media.
Dare County Emergency Management reported a rip current drowning of a Maryland man near Cape Hatteras. Swells generated from Hurricane Fabian, which was 875 miles southeast of the Outer Banks, caused heavy surf and rip currents across the entire Eastern North Carolina coastline.
The tornado developed near the sound in the Four Seasons subdivision, then moved northeast across the community of Duck before exiting into the ocean. The tornado was estimated to be an EF1 with winds around 90 mph. About 75 structures were damaged mostly minor to roofs and siding. Several large pines were toppled and damaged homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
37,875
Population (ACS)
$460K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dare County, North Carolina?
326 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $6.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dare County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 171 recorded events — 52.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dare County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dare County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dare County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dare County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dare County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dare 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
- Currituck County 201
- Davidson County 518
- Cumberland County 589
- Davie County 242
- Craven County 553
- Duplin County 507
Cite this page
“Dare County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/dare-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.