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Robeson County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 643 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #484 nationally and #8 in North Carolina.
643
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
345
Direct injuries
$19.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Robeson County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Robeson County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 9.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 234 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 95 events fall before 1990 and 548 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Robeson County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $9.6M 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 Robeson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 363 | 0 | $4.4M | 109 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 172 | 0 | $117K | 4.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 49 | 6 | $9.6M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 2 | $4.9M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flood | 10 | 1 | $7K | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $507K | 0 | 1999–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2023 |
Decade by decade
Robeson 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
51 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 touched down inside it and 5 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 | 4 | 395 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-08 | EF4 | 4 | 70 | 121.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-08 | EF4 | 0 | 21 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-18 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 77.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-05-15 | EF2 | 3 | 4 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-09-29 | EF2 | 3 | 12 | 85.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-15 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-03-23 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 9.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Robeson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1976 | Tornado | 3 | 4 | $250K | |
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 2 | 280 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 16, 1999 | Tornado | PEMBROKE | 1 | 4 | $200K |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Flood | ALLENTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 15, 2018 | Flash Flood | LUMBERTON | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 15, 2018 | Flash Flood | LUMBERTON | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 9, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 21 | $250K | |
| Mar 24, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team concluded an EF1 tornado touched down near Barker Ten Mile, North Carolina. The maximum wind speed was estimated to 105 mph. The path length was near one and a half miles. The maximum path width was 352 yards. Several headstones were turned over in a cemetery on Highway 301. Several ornamental trees, up to eight inches in diameter, were snapped. A half dozen power poles were leaning over and a flag pole was completely bent over. Numerous trees were snapped along Interstate-95. Several dozen large hardwood and pine trees, up to two feet in diameter, were snapped or uprooted. Fallen trees caused substantial damage to over 100 homes along Robin Road, Castle Road and Sherwood Road.
A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team concluded an EF1 tornado touched down near Rowland, North Carolina. The maximum wind speed was estimated to 105 mph. The path length was just over two-thirds of a mile. The maximum path width was 50 yards. Significant damage occurred to about 50 homes as a result of snapped pine trees, up to two feet in diameter. Shingles were observed to be missing from many roofs. A detached garage was pushed several feet off its foundation and a few outbuildings were destroyed. Significant damage was reported to an elementary school. Straight-line wind damage to trees was apparent for another mile beyond the point where the tornado lifted.
A super-cell thunderstorm with damaging winds accelerated as it moved across Robeson County. Numerous trees and power lines were down and there was considerable structural damage. A National Weather Service Storm Survey concluded that a wet microburst produced a swath of damaging straight-line winds up to 125 mph. The microburst damage began near the intersection of Wilton Drive and Gem Road. Several trees were uprooted or snapped off and minor to moderate damage was observed to roof shingles and to siding. Significant damage was observed to the east of NC Highway 72. Numerous large trees were snapped off or uprooted along NC Highway 72 and significant structural damage occurred to approximately 8 homes on Sadie Drive. One of these homes was completely destroyed and another lost its entire roof. Several sheds and outbuildings were destroyed in this area. One adult woman suffered broken bones. The damage had a maximum path width of 350 yards and a path length of 2.25 miles. The Robeson County Emergency Manager estimated the damage at $813,000.00.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
116,902
Population (ACS)
$95K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Mar 3, 2021 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ETA | DR |
| Aug 2, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ISAIAS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Robeson County, North Carolina?
643 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $19.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Robeson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 363 recorded events — 56.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Robeson County?
51 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 46 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Robeson County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Robeson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Robeson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Robeson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Robeson 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
- Richmond County 221
- Rockingham County 745
- Randolph County 622
- Rowan County 518
- Polk County 236
- Rutherford County 453
Cite this page
“Robeson County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/robeson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.