Polk County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 236 recorded events between 1966 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,206 nationally and #70 in North Carolina.
236
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$16.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Polk County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Polk County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 86 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 214 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Polk County, North Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $15.6M 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 Polk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 114 | 0 | $100K | 65 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 75 | 0 | $3K | 2.75 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 1 | $15.6M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $29K | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $220K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $325K | F1 | 1977–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 2005–2018 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 1 | $500K | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Polk 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: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-10-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-12-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Polk County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | MELROSE | 1 | 0 | $15.0M |
| May 19, 2018 | Debris Flow | VALHALLA | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Jul 22, 2006 | Lightning | MILL SPG | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | COLUMBUS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Stream gauges and the media reported catastrophic flash flooding developed along the North Pacolet and Green River basins in the western half of Polk County after 15-20 inches of rain fell across the area over three days, with 1.5 to 2.5 inches of that falling in less than three hours on the morning of the 27th as tropical rainbands near the remnant center of Helene swept across the area. Dozens of structures were damaged or destroyed along Green River Cove Rd and along Highway 176 due to flooding along the North Pacolet. In addition to the major stream flooding, the extreme rainfall triggered dozens of landslides across the western third of the county. One of these landslides destroyed a home off Highway 176, killing a 67-year-old woman.
EM reported numerous small to large slope failures developed along the Highway 176 corridor in Polk County after as much as 8 inches of rain fell across the western part of the county in just a few hours. Around 30 homes were damaged, with a couple destroyed. One 59-year-old woman died when her garage collapsed as she was trying to flee her home. Her husband was swept into Highway 176 but survived with mostly minor injuries.
A stream flooded Houston Road near Dimsdale lane, trapping people in their cars (2 NNE Columbus). Two mudslides were also reported around Mill Spring. A 40 foot section of Peniel Road was washed out by Mill Creek between Hugh Champion Road and Highway 9 south. A private road, Hawks Landing Drive, also had a large section washed out in this area. Water reportedly entered a few homes in this area as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,891
Population (ACS)
$315K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 22, 2025 | Fire | BLACK COVE FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Polk County, North Carolina?
236 events are on record between 1966 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $16.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Polk County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 114 recorded events — 48.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Polk County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Polk County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Polk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Polk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Polk County as very low risk, placing it in the 37 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Polk 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
- Pitt County 554
- Randolph County 622
- Person County 338
- Richmond County 221
- Perquimans County 144
- Robeson County 643
Cite this page
“Polk County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/polk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.