NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bakersville, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bakersville, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Bakersville
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bakersville; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Bakersville begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 4 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 96% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bakersville. The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 24 miles. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on August 14, 2023. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bakersville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1985, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bakersville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bakersville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bakersville: 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 Bakersville
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 15.8 mi | 6 / 33 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 13.6 mi | 2 / 70 |
| Jul 10, 1980 | F3 | 13 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 9, 1965 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 14, 2023 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 7 mi | 6.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1989 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 20 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 1956 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bakersville
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Bakersville since 1985, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 30, 2012. The most recent report is from August 7, 2023. June has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bakersville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Burnsville Ag, NC, 10 miles southwest of Bakersville at 2,825 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 27°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 45.9 inches. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 96 nights a year. That 45.9 inches is more than at 18 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (13%). Spruce Pine, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Celo 2 S, NC): 64.4 inches a year, 18.5 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 27 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 3.5 |
| Mar | 56 | 34 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 4.2 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 3.9 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.4 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.4 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.3 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 4.2 |
| Oct | 67 | 42 | 2.6 |
| Nov | 57 | 34 | 3.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 3.8 |
| Year | 65 | 43 | 45.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Burnsville Ag, NC (2,825 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 Bakersville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 62 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bakersville: 44 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 10 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $106.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 7, 1999. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 201 have had fewer than Bakersville.
September 26, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Bakersville — 9 killed, $75.0 million damage.
NWS: “Historic, catastrophic flash flooding developed along the Cane River and South Toe River basins during the overnight and early morning hours of the 27th as rainfall rates began to intensify again during the evening of the 26th.”
September 27, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Bakersville — 1 killed, $30.0 million damage.
July 3, 2013: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Bakersville — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Cane Creek Road in the northeast part of the county was flooded. Water was reported over the road along 226 N in the northern part of the country.”
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 Bakersville's ZIP code 28705 have filed 40 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 14 claims (35% of all) and $1.7 million. 35% 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, 114 have fewer than Bakersville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 14 | $1.7 million |
Mitchell County, which includes Bakersville, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mitchell County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.9 million a year, the 94th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (59%), 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 Bakersville
- Spruce Pine, NC10 mi
- Roan Mountain, TN12 mi
- Burnsville, NC12 mi
- Newland, NC13 mi
- Unicoi, TN14 mi
- Elk Park, NC15 mi
- Erwin, TN16 mi
- Hampton, TN16 mi
- Banner Elk, NC20 mi
- Elizabethton, TN22 mi
- Mars Hill, NC23 mi
- Butler, TN23 mi
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