NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arden, NC
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arden, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 18 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 18
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Arden
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Arden; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Arden begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 69 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Arden. The strongest of the 18 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on January 10, 1975; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 18, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Arden. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 132 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Arden has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arden
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | overhead | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Arden: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Arden
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s10
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 10, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1999 | F1 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1977 | F1 | 11 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 15 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 24 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 17 mi | 28.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 14 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 18, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arden
The Storm Prediction Center has 132 hail reports within 10 miles of Arden since 1962, made on 102 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 1, 2012. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. June has the most reports, 44.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arden
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Asheville Regional Airport, NC, 2 miles south of Arden at 2,117 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 29°F. August is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 49.6 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (25.7 of 49.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 88 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.6 inches is more than at 66 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (47%). Mills River, 5 miles south, has its own station (Asheville 13 S, NC): 51.6 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 29 | 4.1 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 53 | 31 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 37 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 58 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 36 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 4.2 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 49.6 | 83 | 10.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Asheville Regional Airport, NC (2,117 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Arden
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 172 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arden: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 14 floods, 8 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 3, 2009. January has had the most flash floods, 6 of 26. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 347 have had fewer than Arden.
June 17, 2022: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Arden — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
June 8, 2009: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Arden — 1 killed.
July 26, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Arden — 1 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Arden's ZIP code 28704 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $278,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 33% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 263 North Carolina cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 54 have fewer than Arden.
Buncombe County, which includes Arden, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Buncombe County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $82.4 million a year, the 14th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $48.1 million (58%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Arden
- Fletcher, NC3 mi
- Mills River, NC5 mi
- Horse Shoe, NC8 mi
- Asheville, NC9 mi
- Hendersonville, NC10 mi
- Candler, NC10 mi
- Fairview, NC10 mi
- Etowah, NC11 mi
- Swannanoa, NC12 mi
- East Flat Rock, NC14 mi
- Flat Rock, NC15 mi
- Pisgah Forest, NC15 mi
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