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Johnston County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 750 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #347 nationally and #5 in North Carolina.
750
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
91
Direct injuries
$82.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Johnston County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Johnston County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 11.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 219 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 84 events fall before 1990 and 666 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Johnston County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.9M 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 Johnston County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 446 | 0 | $27.0M | 75 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 173 | 0 | $850K | 2.75 | 1973–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 69 | 5 | $317K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 24 | 1 | $28.9M | F3 | 1973–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Lightning | 15 | 0 | $393K | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Flood | 4 | 4 | $24.7M | 0 | 2010–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Johnston 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
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 2 | 176 | 52.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-02-22 | EF3 | 2 | 60 | 85.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-23 | EF3 | 0 | 44 | 160.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-11-15 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-11-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-10-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Johnston County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2016 | Flood | DRUG STORE | 4 | 0 | $24.7M |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 1, 2020 | Flash Flood | SMITHFIELD | 2 | 0 | $15K |
| Nov 15, 2008 | Tornado | KENLY | 1 | 2 | $500K |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | BENSON | 0 | 67 | $25.0M |
| Nov 23, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 19, 2006 | Lightning | SELMA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 21, 2001 | Lightning | BENSON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain resulted in flash flooding along Galilee Road. Part of the road washed away in the flooded waters, which resulted in a car being swept off the road. Two individuals were not able to be rescued and drowned in the flood waters.
The tornado exited Harnett County and continued northeast into southern Johnston County. The tornado track south of Benson, where it crossed NC Highway 242 and NC Highway 50. Several modular homes were destroyed, and numerous other homes sustained major damage. There was also hundreds of trees that were uprooted or snapped in half. The tornado subsequently crossed Interstate 40 near mile Marker 330 and continued moving northeast to just south of Four Oaks before crossing Interstate 95 near mile marker 90. The tornado lifted just before reaching Smithfield, where little or no damage was observed. Throughout this part of the track there was a broad swath of EF0 damage with embedded areas of EF1 and EF2 damage. In total, 450 homes were damaged, of which 287 homes were completely destroyed.
This is a continuation of the Spivey's Corner tornado. The tornado oscillated up and down for about 8 miles, resulting in minor tree damage when briefly touching down. The tornado finally touched down one last time in the Meadow area of southern Johnston County, where it did considerable roof and window damage to two homes, snapped and uprooted numerous trees, and blew over several grain silos.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
234,263
Population (ACS)
$306K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Clayton 120
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Johnston County, North Carolina?
750 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $82.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Johnston County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 446 recorded events — 59.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Johnston County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Johnston County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Johnston County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Johnston County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Johnston County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Johnston 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
- Jackson County 223
- Jones County 208
- Iredell County 569
- Lee County 250
- Hyde County 156
- Lenoir County 373
Cite this page
“Johnston County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/johnston-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.