Macon County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 211 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,379 nationally and #79 in North Carolina.
211
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Macon County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Macon County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 3.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 78 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 202 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Macon County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is lightning, with $1.8M 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 Macon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 88 | 0 | $377K | 65 | 1970–2024 |
| Hail | 72 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1984–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 1 | $808K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Lightning | 14 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 1998–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $103K | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $253K | F1 | 1976–2011 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2020–2020 |
Decade by decade
Macon 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
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Macon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | GNEISS | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Sep 17, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | FRANKLIN | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Apr 13, 2004 | Lightning | FRANKLIN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A stream gauge on the Cullasaja River in the Gneiss community indicated flash flooding developed along the lower portion of the river after 10-15 inches of rain fell across the headwaters over three days. 1.5 to 3.5 inches of that fell in less than six hours during the early morning of the 27th. Portions of River Rd and Fulton Rd were inundated, with water entering several homes along River Rd near Peaceful Cove Rd. A couple of campgrounds and RV parks were also inundated. A 75-year-old man was killed when he drove his vehicle into floodwater on Fulton Rd.
Emergency manager reported flash flooding developed across Franklin and vicinity after 4 to 6 inches fell across a swath of central Macon County in less than 8 hours. The most significant impact was to Gibson Cove Branch, which inundated Old Murphy Rd and several adjacent businesses. One business saw up to 3 feet of water inundation, damaging vehicles and storage buildings. Additionally, a stream gauge on the Little Tennessee River near Franklin exceeded its flood stage, indicating flooding of a couple of low lying roads. Other poor drainage and urban flooding issues were reported in the Franklin area.
Emergency manager and geological survey team reported damaging debris flows developed in the Cartoogechaye Creek watershed, primarily originating on the northwest and southeast slopes of Dobson Mountain between West Old Murphy Rd and Patton Rd after 4 to 6 inches of rain fell in less than 8 hours. A commercial facility was damaged on Maxwell Home Rd and there was damage to residential buildings on Turkey Pen Rd. Significant road damage also occurred at Turkey Pen Rd and Enchanted Mountain Rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
37,941
Population (ACS)
$252K
Median home value
17
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 Macon County, North Carolina?
211 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Macon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 88 recorded events — 41.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Macon County?
5 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 Macon County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Macon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Macon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Macon County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Macon 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
- McDowell County 415
- Madison County 236
- Lincoln County 374
- Martin County 241
- Lenoir County 373
- Mecklenburg County 889
Cite this page
“Macon County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/macon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.