67
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$292K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Watauga County, North Carolina: 67 recorded events between 1993 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 70. That places the county #2,585 nationally and #91 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Watauga County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Watauga County is the 2010s, when 21 of the county's 67 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Watauga County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 19.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,585 for this hazard and #91 within North Carolina, putting it in the 18.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Watauga County with 17 recorded events, while Dec is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2016 | REESE | 60 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2024 | BLOWING ROCK | 50 | $1K |
| Jul 16, 2024 | VALLE CRUCIS | 50 | $4K |
| Aug 15, 2023 | BAMBOO | 50 | $500 |
| Aug 15, 2023 | BOONE | 55 | $2K |
| Aug 15, 2023 | VALLE CRUCIS | 50 | $3K |
| Aug 15, 2023 | KELLERSVILLE | 50 | $500 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | ROMINGER | 50 | $5K |
| Jul 29, 2023 | MATNEY | 50 | $1K |
| Jul 29, 2023 | KELLERSVILLE | 50 | $2K |
| Jan 3, 2023 | BETHEL | 60 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Watauga County
- Flash Flood 85
- Hail 75
- Flood 61
- Heavy Rain 40
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A line of severe thunderstorms brought down numerous trees and power lines across Watauga County. In Reese and Zionville, 30 to 40 trees were blown down. At least one person was injured, when a tree fell onto a vehicle on Big Hill Road near Boone. A section of roof was blown off the Nathan's Walk apartment complex in downtown Boone. At the peak of the event, over 16,000 people in Watauga County were without power.
Thunderstorms brought hit and miss wind damage across the county. There were reports of trees down along Wonderland Trail, Laurel Lane, Winterberry Trail, Silverleaf Road, and Broadstone Road. Damage values are estimated.
Thunderstorms in northwest North Carolina during the early evening hours on the 18th produced damaging lightning and damaging winds. Thunderstorm winds downed trees, large tree limbs, power poles and power lines in Blowing Rock and downed trees in Wilkesboro and Traphill. Lightning started a fire which resulted in $75 thousand in damage to a church three miles west of Hamptonville. Lightning started a fire which destroyed a barn, 20 bales of hay and lumber in Austin. Lightning destroyed two computer systems and a telephone at a business in Yadkinville. There was also extensive electrical damage done as well. Total damage was estimated at $8 thousand. Another lightning strike in Yadkinville resulted in $700 in damage to a phone system at a business in Yadkinville.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Watauga County, North Carolina?
67 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Watauga County between 1993 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Watauga County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Watauga County measured 70.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Watauga County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Watauga County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/watauga-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.