Severe Weather History


North Carolina Heavy Rain History: 821 Recorded Events

818

Recorded events

94

Counties affected

0

Direct deaths

$11.3M

Property damage

North Carolina heavy rain history: 818 recorded events across 94 counties between 1996 and 2025.

Decade by decade

North Carolina heavy rain history by decade

North Carolina heavy rain history: recorded events per decade
North Carolina heavy rain history: recorded events per decade

The 2010s are the busiest decade on record with 277 reported heavy rain events across North Carolina. Earlier decades are thinner because systematic reporting for this hazard expanded over time, not because the weather was calmer.

County ranking

Counties with the most heavy rain events in North Carolina

RankCountyEventsDeathsDamageSpan
#1New Hanover County440$1.7M2000–2023
#2Watauga County400$02016–2024
#3Currituck County340$01998–2025
#4Pasquotank County340$01998–2024
#5Perquimans County290$01998–2024
#6Camden County260$01998–2020
#7Northampton County260$01998–2023
#8Bertie County250$01998–2023
#9Wake County250$01998–2023
#10Brunswick County240$1.0M2002–2023
#11Chowan County230$75K1996–2023
#12Ashe County220$02017–2024
#13Gates County210$01998–2024
#14Mecklenburg County200$1.2M2003–2019
#15Surry County190$02018–2024
#16Hertford County180$01998–2020
#17Johnston County170$01998–2020
#18Wilkes County170$02018–2020
#19Rockingham County130$02018–2021
#20Nash County120$01998–2020
#21Yadkin County120$02014–2020
#22Wayne County110$01998–2020
#23Pitt County110$90K1998–2012
#24Harnett County100$01998–2020
#25Buncombe County90$455K1998–2014
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events · ranked by recorded event count

All hazards in North Carolina · Heavy Rain across the U.S.