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Sampson County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 544 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #746 nationally and #20 in North Carolina.
544
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
224
Direct injuries
$89.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Sampson County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sampson County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 8.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 137 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 466 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sampson County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 14 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $66.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Sampson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 315 | 0 | $4.8M | 87 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 137 | 0 | $23K | 2.75 | 1967–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 54 | 0 | $5.3M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 23 | 14 | $66.1M | F4 | 1957–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $618K | 0 | 2003–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $12.3M | 0 | 1999–2018 |
Decade by decade
Sampson 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
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-04-08 | EF4 | 4 | 70 | 121.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-03-28 | EF4 | 3 | 149 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 12 | 101 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-02-22 | EF3 | 2 | 60 | 85.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-04-18 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 25.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 3 | 13 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-09-29 | EF2 | 3 | 12 | 85.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-08-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-09-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sampson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 10 | 90 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 9, 1957 | Tornado | 4 | 32 | $250K | |
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 50 | $25.0M | |
| Jan 7, 1995 | Tornado | NR Clinton | 0 | 13 | $475K |
| May 30, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | PINEY GREEN | 0 | 12 | $3.5M |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | HIGHSMITHS | 0 | 9 | $10.0M |
| Sep 11, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| Jan 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | TAYLORS BRIDGE | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado exited Cumberland County and moved into Sampson County, just southwest of Roseboro. The tornado tracked northeast along NC Highway 24, between Roseboro and Clinton. Cyclic damage between EF1 to EF2 was observed with the most extensive damage observed between Bonnetsville Road and Clinton, including Bass Lake Road and Dixie Road. The tornado continued northeast, crossing Highways 421 and 701 on the north side of Clinton. A roof was completely blown off of a home on Isaac Weeks Road. As the tornado moved farther northeast, the tornado was mostly of Ef1 strength damage to homes were minor, with outbuildings and power poles bent or blown down. The tornado weakened and quickly lifted in the vicinity of Highway 403 and East Darden Road, with minor roof damage to a home. In total, there were 85 to 90 residential structures were damaged, with 25 destroyed; and 13 businesses damaged, with 3 destroyed.
Torrential rainfall of 15 to 20 inches caused widespread flooding across the county. Additional significant rainfall upstream caused all-time record major flooding along the Black River near Tomahawk. Flooding damaged approximately 233 structures throughout the county, destroying 19 and resulting in approximately $8.2 million in property damage and at least $30 million in crop damage. Numerous roads were flooded all throughout the county.
Multiple roads were reported washout across central Sampson County, including near Highway 24 and Summerhill Road, Curtis Ivey Road and Summerhill Road, Six Runs Church Road and Old Warsaw Road, and the 5000 block of Dave Bright Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
59,470
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
25
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 Sampson County, North Carolina?
544 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 14 direct deaths and $89.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sampson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 315 recorded events — 57.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sampson County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sampson County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sampson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sampson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sampson County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sampson 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
- Rutherford County 453
- Scotland County 237
- Rowan County 518
- Stanly County 393
- Rockingham County 745
- Stokes County 488
Cite this page
“Sampson County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/sampson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.