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Warnings by state

North Carolina tornado warnings

The National Weather Service issued 1,029 tornado warnings, 6,355 severe thunderstorm warnings and 1,396 flash flood warnings for North Carolina from 2016 to 2025, about 103, 636 and 140 a year. That ranks 12th of 52 states and territories for tornado warnings. Brunswick County had the most of any county: 71 tornado warnings.

North Carolina warnings and radar right now

Checking the National Weather Service for North Carolina…

North Carolina counties ranked by tornado warnings

Warnings that listed each county, 2016 to 2025, and tornadoes recorded in the county since 1950. A warning can list several counties, so the county numbers add up to more than the state total.

CountyTornado warningsSevere thunderstormFlash floodTornadoes since 1950
Brunswick County711405044
Columbus County561844634
Craven County472573640
Pender County44984648
Onslow County411714551
Beaufort County402282640
Jones County392153723
Bladen County391462929
New Hanover County37694333
Pitt County361662834
Franklin County342873413
Nash County342633519
Gates County34133186
Sampson County332274925
Wayne County321954030
Carteret County321253181
Johnston County313705425
Mecklenburg County313134330
Surry County312435210
Granville County30237359
Duplin County291463742
Bertie County291232431
Iredell County282532623
Caswell County28194257
Edgecombe County281652316
Warren County28161186
Orange County272286012
Burke County272275310
Cumberland County272166225
Wilson County272122920
Chatham County263365312
Halifax County261891516
Hyde County261471321
Hertford County261433018
Camden County26137216
Lenoir County251502930
Robeson County251452650
Martin County251231722
Pasquotank County251231921
Wake County2447710540
Rockingham County242553313
Durham County242447111
Gaston County242381621
Cabarrus County242132216
Chowan County24961615
Alamance County232153911
Caldwell County231644511
Alexander County231272311
Perquimans County231111114
Washington County2395813
Harnett County223095527
Cleveland County22246929
Catawba County222142820
Rutherford County213003912
Wilkes County211666712
Vance County21161239
Yadkin County201543210
Northampton County201342118
Currituck County201332410
Person County201322511
Randolph County192975317
Moore County192834816
Greene County191021420
Montgomery County18229358
Dare County18912041
Lincoln County172211423
Pamlico County171332020
Stokes County162233810
Rowan County162161914
Guilford County152628516
Lee County15202306
Hoke County151664111
Union County151651924
Tyrrell County1587517
Stanly County141524117
McDowell County12179566
Richmond County10201334
Forsyth County101625216
Scotland County101202311
Davidson County92244216
Polk County8197274
Anson County7148278
Transylvania County7138283
Cherokee County71071710
Avery County765202
Henderson County6162364
Davie County6114107
Ashe County681521
Alleghany County4109393
Watauga County449424
Mitchell County360150
Macon County294184
Yancey County286173
Clay County256125
Buncombe County1176257
Jackson County1102195
Haywood County1101132
Madison County08887
Swain County082104
Graham County05651

North Carolina warnings by year

Each warning counts once for the state, however many counties it covered. 2008 is the first full year the National Weather Service drew an outline around every warning.

Tornadoes since 1950

1,560 tornadoes have been recorded in North Carolina since 1950, 12 of them rated 4 or 5 on the F or EF scale. They killed 134 people and injured 2,808. May had the most (272).

Warnings for North Carolina by year
YearTornadoSevere thunderstormFlash flood
2026 to Oct 1965825103
202537682144
2024181641272
202351762106
202211075286
202110042592
2020141514183
201915871088
2018104608245
20178556157
201662700123
20152653298
20148363671
201337501137
2012601,05996
20112241,254120
2010111764173
200986904119
20081931,204141

What stands out in North Carolina

2011 was the busiest year for tornado warnings in North Carolina since 2008, with 224 tornado warnings. The busiest year for flash flood warnings was 2024, with 272.

Since 2008, 11 tornado warnings and 48 flash flood warnings for North Carolina were raised to a tornado emergency or a flash flood emergency for at least part of the warned area: the Weather Service’s rarest warning, used when a severe threat to life is happening or about to happen.

13 severe thunderstorm warnings for North Carolina carried the “destructive” tag (winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger) since the tag started in August 2021. Only those severe thunderstorm warnings set off Wireless Emergency Alerts on phones.

12 tornadoes in North Carolina since 1950 were rated F4 or EF4, the strongest recorded there. The most recent was on May 7, 1998.

National Weather Service warnings from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive through October 19, 2026; tornado ratings from the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA Storm Events.

States next to North Carolina

Tornado warnings for each neighboring state, 2016 to 2025.

Get alerts for a home anywhere in North Carolina.

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North Carolina tornado warnings: questions people ask

How many tornado warnings does North Carolina get a year?

About 103 a year: the National Weather Service issued 1,029 tornado warnings for North Carolina from 2016 to 2025, 12th of 52 states and territories.

Which North Carolina county gets the most tornado warnings?

Brunswick County has the most: 71 tornado warnings listed it from 2016 to 2025, ahead of Columbus County with 56. A warning can list several counties, so county counts add up to more than the state total.

Which North Carolina city gets the most tornado warnings?

Leland has the most among cities and towns with 10,000 people or more: the outlines of 15 tornado warnings covered its center from 2016 to 2025.

When is tornado season in North Carolina?

May and April: 33% of the 1,560 tornadoes recorded in North Carolina since 1950 came in those two months. Tornadoes have struck North Carolina in every month of the year.

About these numbers

Counts are National Weather Service warnings that listed a North Carolina county, through October 19, 2026. How Kinwarn counts · North Carolina data (CSV)

Cite: Kinwarn. “North Carolina tornado warnings.” kinwarn.com/north-carolina. National Weather Service data through October 19, 2026.

Sources: IEM warning archive · NWS 2007 outlines · SPC tornado database · Census places · Census population estimates · NWS tornado alerts