Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Warren; Halifax; Orange; Durham; Franklin; Nash; Edgecombe; Chatham; Wake; Johnston; Wilson; Moore; Lee; Harnett; Wayne; Richmond; Scotland; Hoke; Cumberland; Sampson
Wayne County, North Carolina severe weather history spans 518 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #813 nationally and #25 in North Carolina.
518
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
169
Direct injuries
$202.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, North Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, North Carolina severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 148 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 94 events fall before 1990 and 424 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wayne County, North Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $141.7M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 290 | 1 | $4.0M | 79 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 124 | 0 | $2.5M | 2.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 50 | 2 | $163K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 4 | $53.7M | F4 | 1955–2019 |
| Lightning | 11 | 1 | $402K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 2 | $141.7M | 0 | 1999–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Wayne 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
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 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 | 3 | 149 | 21.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-02-22 | EF3 | 2 | 60 | 85.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 0 | 30 | 20.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 81 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-01-06 | EF1 | 0 | 22 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 3 | 59 | $25.0M | |
| Oct 9, 2016 | Flood | PINKNEY | 2 | 0 | $120.8M |
| Sep 16, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 7, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Johnston | 1 | 2 | $1.5M |
| Mar 16, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Aug 1, 1998 | Lightning | GOLDSBORO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 29, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 74 | $25.0M | |
| Jan 7, 1995 | Tornado | Seven Springs | 0 | 22 | $1.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rainfall of 12 to 15 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Additional rainfall upstream caused all-time record major flooding along the Neuse River near Goldsboro. Flooding damaged approximately 5,092 structures throughout the county, resulting in $120.8 million in property damage and and at least $20 million in crop damage. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well, with more than 125 people rescued from trapped homes and vehicles. There were 2 direct fatalities when a 54 year old male and a 47 year old female when their vehicles were swept away by flood waters along Wayne Memorial Drive near County Day Road.
A family was attempting to leave their mobile home when a downburst blew their home into the highway on State Road 1003, one-hafl mile north of Highway 42. The man of the house was covered with debris from the mobile home. He died later at Duke Hospital. Wife and daughter were also injured. Over 40 structures were damaged, with mobile homes being blown into each other and trees.
Torrential rainfall of 15 to 20 inches upstream caused major flooding along the Neuse River Basin. Flooding damaged approximately 1,482 structures throughout the county, resulting in over $20.93 million in property damage, and over $30 million in crop damage. Numerous streets and roads were reported flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
118,652
Population (ACS)
$179K
Median home value
28
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 |
| May 8, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Goldsboro 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, North Carolina?
518 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $202.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 290 recorded events — 56.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Watauga County 345
- Wilkes County 651
- Washington County 133
- Wilson County 354
- Warren County 216
- Yadkin County 338
Cite this page
“Wayne County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.