NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bessemer City, 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
24 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bessemer City, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 23
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Bessemer City
The strongest storm to pass near Bessemer City was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Bessemer City begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 63 miles away. The 1880s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 24 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Bessemer City. The strongest of the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 5, 1989; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 106, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Bessemer City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 164 times since 1970, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Bessemer City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
Compare Bessemer City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bessemer City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 40 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 21 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 Bessemer City: 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 Bessemer City
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s17
- 2000s23
- 1990s23(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s17(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 21 mi | 14 mi | 4 / 52 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 7 mi | 8.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 25 mi | 4.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 2.58 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 9, 2008 | EF2 | 7 mi | 18.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 2004 | F2 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F2 | 5 mi | 45.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bessemer City
The Storm Prediction Center has 164 hail reports within 10 miles of Bessemer City since 1970, made on 114 separate days. Of these, 88 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 3, 1974. The most recent report is from June 26, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 48 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bessemer City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gastonia, NC, 8 miles east of Bessemer City at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 31°F. August is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.1 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.6 of 44.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 24 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 61 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.1 inches is more than at 11 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (8%). Kings Mountain, 5 miles southwest, has its own station (Gastonia Municipal Airport, NC): 43.4 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 57 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 63 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 35 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 44.1 | 70 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gastonia, NC (700 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 Bessemer City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 217 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bessemer City: 196 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 6 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 4 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 10, 2011. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Bessemer City.
March 23, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bessemer City — 2 killed, 1 injured.
May 8, 2024: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Bessemer City — 1 killed, 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “County comms reported widespread straight-line wind damage to trees and power lines from the Kings Mountain and Bessemer City areas, across Gastonia to McAdenville. A 62-year-old woman was killed and another person injured when a tree fell on a parked vehicle at South New Hope Rd and Dixon Rd in Gastonia.”
June 9, 2019: flood 9 miles from the centre of Bessemer City — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
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
Gaston County, which includes Bessemer City, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gaston County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $59.3 million a year, the 21st highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.3 million (61%), 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.