Henderson County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 433 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,122 nationally and #41 in North Carolina.
433
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$206.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Henderson County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Henderson County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 159 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 385 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Henderson County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $201.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Henderson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 159 | 0 | $235K | 60 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 149 | 0 | $3.1M | 2.5 | 1963–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 7 | $201.7M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 33 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Lightning | 19 | 0 | $535K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $378K | F1 | 1975–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2000 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Henderson 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
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-10-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-05-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Henderson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | BAT CAVE | 7 | 0 | $200.0M |
| Jun 15, 1996 | Lightning | TUXEDO | 0 | 18 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | HENDERSONVILLE | 0 | 2 | $25K |
| Jul 5, 2011 | Lightning | BRIGHTWATER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | HENDERSONVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 1996 | Flash Flood | BAT CAVE | 0 | 1 | $200K |
| May 5, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Although rainfall ended across Henderson County during the morning, catastrophic flooding lingered through the afternoon as runoff from historic rainfall amounts continued to fill waterways. While smaller streams receded by late evening of the 27th, major river flooding continued along the French Broad River until the evening of the 29th. The river remained above flood stage until the evening of the 30th.
Flash flooding developed along the Rocky Broad River when 6 to 9 inches of rain fell in about an 8 hour period along the eastern escarpment. The river gauge at Bat Cave reached 11 feet at around 11 am. About 100 people were evacuated from the area, mostly from flooded campgrounds. Several structures were damaged by flood water. Highway 64/74 and Riverside Dr were covered with water and closed. A bridge was washed out on Edney Inn Rd just south of Bat Cave due to flooding on Reedypatch Creek. Flooding along this creek damaged the porch of a log home. Approximately 20 homes were isolated due to washed out bridges and driveways. A couple required rescue when their car stalled in high water on highway 64 between Edneyville and Bat Cave. Most roads in the Edneyville area required closing at some point. Other roads flooded in the Dana and Fruitland areas. Mudslides also developed, covering portions of the major highways in the area with debris, and damaging at least 1 business.
NWS storm survey found the path of an EF0 tornado that touched down near the intersection of Leslie Way and Sugarloaf Rd and tracked southeast across Sugarloaf Ln and near Naomi Dr. Damage was primarily limited to multiple uprooted trees and snapped large limbs in this area, although minor damage occurred to the roof of one home and to the exterior of a manufactured home. A couple of other houses were damaged by falling trees. The path became more intermittent from there, but additional tree damage was found in a wooded area southeast of Naomi Ln. This was the first confirmed tornado in Henderson County since 21 August 1977, when an F1 tornado tracked from the Dana community into the Green River Game Land area of Polk County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
118,484
Population (ACS)
$351K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Henderson County, North Carolina?
433 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $206.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Henderson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 159 recorded events — 36.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Henderson County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Henderson County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Henderson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Henderson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henderson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Henderson 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
- Haywood County 178
- Hertford County 190
- Harnett County 457
- Hoke County 231
- Halifax County 363
- Hyde County 156
Cite this page
“Henderson County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/henderson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.