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Durham County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 512 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #835 nationally and #28 in North Carolina.
512
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$42.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Durham County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Durham County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 152 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 75 events fall before 1990 and 437 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Durham County, North Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.8M 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 Durham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 262 | 2 | $1.5M | 80 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 127 | 0 | $15K | 2.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 91 | 0 | $741K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $28.8M | F2 | 1975–2024 |
| Lightning | 10 | 1 | $183K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $11.1M | 0 | 2014–2018 |
Decade by decade
Durham 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
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-02-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Durham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOPE VLY | 1 | 0 | $8K |
| Jun 11, 2011 | Lightning | GORMAN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 5, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 8, 2021 | Lightning | DURHAM | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOPE VLY | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Jul 5, 2018 | Lightning | GENLEE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | FEW | 0 | 1 | $150K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees, power lines and power poles were blown down from near Chapel Hill to near Parkwood. A 55-year old man was killed by a falling tree as he was standing on the back deck of his home on Roper Lane in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Torrential rainfall of 10 to 15 inches caused widespread flooding across the county. Additional rainfall upstream caused moderate flooding along the Eno River near Enon. Additionally, water held in Jordan Lake from rainfall in its headwaters resulted in flooding along the lake into portions of the county, which lingered for several days. Flooding damaged approximately 638 structures throughout the county, destroying 4 and resulting in $11.05 million in property damage. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well. While final losses on crops are not yet tallied, estimates around $5 million are possible.
A tornado first touched down in rural northeast Durham county off Bahama Road. The tornado moved northeast and took the roof off a manufactured home on a brick foundation. One minor injury occurred in the home. Down the road a half mile on Range Road, the tornado damaged farm sheds and sent sheets of tin flying in all directions. The tornado then hit a frame house with only minor roof damage. A large oak tree, without leaves, was snapped off at the base. Just 100 yards away, the tornado hit a manufactured home and reduced it to just splinters and rubble. The tornado picked up the home, turned it 90 degrees, and slammed it into the ground. The entire structure was then sheared off at the base and spread into the adjacent field and woods. Thankfully, no one was home at the time. This tornado reached its maximum intensity (F2) at this point. Minor damage occurred down the road to some businesses and houses and the storm lifted before reaching the Person county line.Home damage was estimated by Emergency Management to be nearly $450K and damage to businesses was nearly $150K.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
332,353
Population (ACS)
$389K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 11, 2025 | Tropical Depression | TROPICAL DEPRESSION CHANTAL | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Durham 110
- Hope Vly 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Durham County, North Carolina?
512 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $42.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Durham County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 262 recorded events — 51.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Durham County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Durham County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Durham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Durham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Durham County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Durham 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
- Duplin County 507
- Edgecombe County 290
- Davie County 242
- Forsyth County 590
- Davidson County 518
- Franklin County 379
Cite this page
“Durham County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/durham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.