NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Blowing Rock, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Blowing Rock, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 18 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 18
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Blowing Rock
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Blowing Rock; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Blowing Rock begins with an unnamed storm in 1886; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 3 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 93% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Blowing Rock. The strongest of the 18 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 7, 1998; its path came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on April 27, 2011, killed 2 people. Of the 18, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Blowing Rock. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1984, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Blowing Rock has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Blowing Rock
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Blowing Rock: 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 Blowing Rock
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s6
- 1990s4(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1998 | F4 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 12 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 23 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 1965 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | EF1 | in town | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2023 | EF1 | 14 mi | 2.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2022 | EF1 | 25 mi | 6.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 15 mi | 7.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 18 mi | 6.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 24 mi | 4.45 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 18, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Blowing Rock
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Blowing Rock since 1984, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 2, 1998. The most recent report is from July 2, 2023. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Blowing Rock
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Boone 1 SE, NC, 6 miles northeast of Blowing Rock at 3,100 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 22°F. September is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 59.1 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 25.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 59.1 inches is more than at 121 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (86%). Banner Elk, 9 miles west, has its own station (Banner Elk, NC): 53.8 inches a year, 5.3 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 22 | 4.4 | 7 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 3.6 | 7 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 52 | 29 | 4.8 | 8 | 4.8 |
| Apr | 62 | 37 | 5.5 | 9 | 1.0 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 54 | 5.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 56 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 50 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 39 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 53 | 30 | 4.4 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 45 | 25 | 4.2 | 8 | 5.2 |
| Year | 61 | 39 | 59.1 | 97 | 25.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Boone 1 SE, NC (3,100 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 Blowing Rock
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 200 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Blowing Rock: 64 flash floods, 49 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 floods, 38 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $11.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 26, 2004. August has had the most flash floods, 12 of 64. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 454 have had fewer than Blowing Rock.
August 13, 2021: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Blowing Rock — 7 injured.
July 2, 2023: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Blowing Rock — 2 injured.
August 17, 2021: flood 6 miles from the centre of Blowing Rock — 1 injured, $15,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Blowing Rock's ZIP code 28605 have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $734,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 14 claims (38% of all) and $509,000. 38% 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, 104 have fewer than Blowing Rock.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 14 | $509,000 |
Watauga County, which includes Blowing Rock, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 5 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Watauga County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.0 million a year, the 46th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.1 million (66%), 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 Blowing Rock
- Boone, NC6 mi
- Banner Elk, NC9 mi
- Deep Gap, NC10 mi
- Vilas, NC11 mi
- Sugar Grove, NC12 mi
- Zionville, NC13 mi
- Fleetwood, NC14 mi
- Newland, NC15 mi
- Elk Park, NC15 mi
- Lenoir, NC16 mi
- Purlear, NC18 mi
- West Jefferson, NC20 mi
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