Stokes County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 488 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #917 nationally and #32 in North Carolina.
488
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$26.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Stokes County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Stokes County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 236 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 460 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $21.3M 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 Stokes County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 340 | 0 | $1.4M | 70 | 1964–2025 |
| Hail | 92 | 0 | $5K | 2.25 | 1967–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $3.6M | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2012–2024 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $21.3M | F1 | 1952–2017 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $81K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2024 |
Decade by decade
Stokes 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
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-09-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-20 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF1 | 0 | 13 | 31.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 56.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Stokes County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 23, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Mar 20, 1998 | Tornado | PINE HALL | 0 | 3 | $100K |
| Apr 17, 2002 | Lightning | SANDY RIDGE | 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 thunderstorm dropped a tornado that impacted portions of western Stokes County. This tornado, which produced a continuous path length of 16.1 miles, touched down just north of the Forsyth and Stokes County Line causing large tree limbs to snap and numerous trees to become uprooted along and near Spainhour Mill Road. The tornado continued to the northeast, producing damage as it crossed US-52, Old Highway 52, and other minor roadways. The tornado reached its maximum strength and width as it impacted areas near and within YMCA Camp Hanes at the base of Sauratown Mountain, where numerous outbuildings, mobile homes, and cabins were damaged. The tornado at this point reached a maximum path width of just under 0.5 miles with a maximum wind speed estimate of 125 MPH. The tornado continued to the northeast for several more miles before coming to an end just north of Highway 89 and just south of North Stokes High School.
Multiple roads were reported closed due to flooding across Stokes County, including the Walnut Cove and King areas. The first reports were shortly before 230 PM local time. The County was later included in a request by the state of North Carolina for a Presidential Major Disaster declaration.
Numerous roads were flooded and at least six incurred significant damage as a result of the flooding. Among the reports from the 911 call center was Eurins Creek flooding Pine Hall Road and Danbury Creek flooding a portion of Goff Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
45,139
Population (ACS)
$197K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 19, 2024 | Tropical Storm | POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE EIGHT | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Stokes County, North Carolina?
488 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $26.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Stokes County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 340 recorded events — 69.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Stokes County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Stokes County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Stokes County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Stokes County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Stokes County as very low risk, placing it in the 40 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Stokes 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
- Stanly County 393
- Surry County 758
- Scotland County 237
- Swain County 134
- Sampson County 544
- Transylvania County 276
Cite this page
“Stokes County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/stokes-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.