Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Martin; Pitt; Washington; Tyrrell; Mainland Dare; Greene; Beaufort; Mainland Hyde; Duplin; Lenoir; Jones; Pamlico; Northern Craven; Southern Craven; West Carteret; East Carteret; Inland Onslow; Coastal Onslow
Tyrrell County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 86 recorded events between 1975 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,934 nationally and #100 in North Carolina.
86
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Tyrrell County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Tyrrell County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 1.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 21 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 73 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Tyrrell County, North Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.5M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Tyrrell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 46 | 4 | $75K | 77 | 1975–2025 |
| Hail | 22 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1985–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $1.5M | F2 | 1983–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2016 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 1997–2000 |
Decade by decade
Tyrrell 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
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-08-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 54.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-09-29 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-05-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Tyrrell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 4 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 4, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | COLUMBIA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 29, 2011 | Tornado | JERRY | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Jun 4, 2004 | Tornado | COLUMBIA | 0 | 1 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado spun up along Highway 94, about 5.5 miles southeast of Columbia. Trees on either side of the highway were blow down or snapped off with damage estimated at EF0. The tornado continued to move northeast through fields, before intensifying to EF1 with winds estimated at 105 mph as it struck a church along Highway 64 near Alligator. Nearly half the roof was blown off the church with an entire wall collapsed. A mobile home nearby the church was also severely damaged. The tornado then moved into fields and appeared to dissipate just north of Highway 64.
A NWS storm survey found that a EF1 tornado with maximum estimated wind speeds of 105 mph briefly touched down destroying a mobile home causing one injury. The tornado was small with a path length less than 100 yards and a path width of 10 yards. ||The touchdown occurred in a field between Newland Road and Basnight Lane. It then hit a single wide mobile home and immediately lifted back up. The mobile home was lifted off its foundation and rolled, ending up 45 degrees from its original alignment. Debris was scattered both upstream and downstream from the damaged mobile home with some debris lofted into nearby power lines. Adjacent mobile homes had minimal damage mainly to skirting. The injury occurred to a single male occupant who received a broken shoulder, lacerations, and bruises.
A tornado briefly touched down along Soundside Road northeast of Columbia. Minor damage to several homes was observed with one out building destroyed. A small aluminum boat was lifted and blown a small distance. Winds were estimated at 75 to 80 mph with no injuries or fatalities.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,423
Population (ACS)
$165K
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 |
| 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 Tyrrell County, North Carolina?
86 events are on record between 1975 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $1.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Tyrrell County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 46 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Tyrrell County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Tyrrell County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Tyrrell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Tyrrell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tyrrell County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Tyrrell 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
- Transylvania County 276
- Union County 502
- Swain County 134
- Vance County 209
- Surry County 758
- Wake County 1,516
Cite this page
“Tyrrell County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/tyrrell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.