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Lenoir County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 373 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,371 nationally and #51 in North Carolina.
373
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
49
Direct injuries
$59.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Lenoir County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lenoir County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 99 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 333 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lenoir County, North Carolina record is flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $57.8M 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 Lenoir County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 179 | 0 | $596K | 70 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 111 | 0 | $511K | 2.75 | 1958–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $57.8M | F4 | 1961–2023 |
| Flood | 10 | 5 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2012 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Lenoir 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: 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-28 | EF4 | 16 | 153 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 81 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-09-16 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 32.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lenoir County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2016 | Flood | MAYS STORE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2016 | Flood | PINK HILL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2016 | Flood | KINSTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 11, 2016 | Flood | GRAINGERS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 11, 2016 | Flood | (ISO)ERN RGNL JETPOR | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 33 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 1, 1998 | Tornado | KINSTON | 0 | 3 | $90K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado developed near the Wayne County line near the intersection of Old Jason Road and County Line Road. The tornado then quickly moved northeast across the extreme northwest tip of Lenoir County before moving into Greene County. Only minor damage to some outbuildings was observed with several large tree limbs also blown down.
A severe thunderstorm produced a microburst as it moved across Strabane|in southwestern Lenoir County. The intense winds began in an open field|just west of Smith-Grady Road, and then damaged several buildings and|trees across the road. Of note several hardwood trees had large portions|of their canopy broken off, including one uprooted tree. Additionally, a|truck trailer was flipped on its side and a large garage outbuilding was|shifted off its foundation by the winds. The microburst continued eastward|blowing large limbs through the adjacent farm field and into the Straybane|Mobile Home Park. Here not much damage was seen other than underpinning|damage to several trailers. Finally, additional hardwood tree damage was|seen about a half mile to the east just south of NC 55. Here a few large|(but weakened) tree limbs were broken off in a concentrated area.
A tornado touched down near Deep Run in association with hurricane Florence. The |damage path started along Big Oak Road where up to 5 homes sustained |roof damage. Most of this damage occurred in the direction of the storm |motion but some shingle loss was in the opposite direction. Minor tree |damage was also observed. The damage path continued northwest to Deep |Run where minor damage was found near highway 11 and along Old North |Carolina 11. This included minor shingle damage, some uprooted or |snapped trees. The damage path ended along highway 903 near but mainly |north of Liddell Road where more trees were snapped along with minor |shingle loss to some homes. The damage was sporadic and consistent with |winds in the 75 to 85 mph range due to the loss of shingles and some |uprooted trees. The time was estimated based on radar data.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
54,919
Population (ACS)
$121K
Median home value
29
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 |
| Oct 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Kinston 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lenoir County, North Carolina?
373 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $59.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lenoir County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 179 recorded events — 48.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lenoir County?
31 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 Lenoir County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lenoir County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lenoir County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lenoir County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lenoir 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
- Lee County 250
- Lincoln County 374
- Jones County 208
- McDowell County 415
- Johnston County 750
- Macon County 211
Cite this page
“Lenoir County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/lenoir-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.