NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cameron, 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
62 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cameron, North Carolina since 1851, 5 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ian in 2022. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 5
- Tropical storms
- 57
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Cameron
The strongest storm to pass near Cameron was Hazel in 1954, a Category 2 hurricane with 107 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1896, whose centre came within 15 miles. The record near Cameron begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ian in 2022, a tropical storm 29 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 7 systems. Of the 62 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Cameron has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site. The highest rating among the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 16, 2011, came within 9 miles. Of the 56, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on July 6, 2025. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cameron. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cameron.
Compare Cameron's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cameron
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | IanOct 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 21 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 23 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | EarlSep 4 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 8 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | DianaSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 21 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | overhead | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 26 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 17 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 42 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormAug 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 25 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 23 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormSep 6 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 16 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 10 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormSep 3 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 13 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 25 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 15 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 33 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 71 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormJun 23 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 25 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cameron: 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 Cameron
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5(2 EF3+)
- 2000s19
- 1990s7
- 1980s9
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF3 | 9 mi | 65.23 mi | 6 / 103 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 52.86 mi | 2 / 176 |
| Feb 22, 1971 | F3 | 19 mi | 85.7 mi | 2 / 60 |
| Apr 18, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 77.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 11, 1981 | F2 | 20 mi | 12.4 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 19, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 11, 1981 | F2 | 7 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 11, 1981 | F2 | 19 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 5, 1971 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1963 | F2 | 13 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 6, 1956 | F2 | 16 mi | 14.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cameron
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Cameron since 1984, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 24, 2009. The most recent report is from May 29, 2021. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cameron
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sanford 8 NE, NC, 19 miles north of Cameron at 262 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 31°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 46.7 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (26.5 of 46.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 62 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (26); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 4.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 54 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 79 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.7 inches is more than at 29 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (21%). Vass, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Raeford, NC): 48.8 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 | 3.6 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 57 | 33 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 65 | 39 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 75 | 47 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 4.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 38 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 33 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Year | 73 | 49 | 46.7 | 69 | 2.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sanford 8 NE, NC (262 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 Cameron
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cameron: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $118.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 74 mph, on July 8, 2015. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 166 have had fewer than Cameron.
April 9, 2015: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Cameron — 1 killed.
September 17, 2018: flood 10 miles from the centre of Cameron — $65.3 million damage.
September 17, 2018: flood 4 miles from the centre of Cameron — $27.6 million 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
Harnett County, which includes Cameron, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 25, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Harnett County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.3 million a year, the 35th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.7 million (45%), 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 Cameron
- Vass, NC7 mi
- Sanford, NC11 mi
- Spring Lake, NC11 mi
- Broadway, NC12 mi
- Carthage, NC14 mi
- Southern Pines, NC15 mi
- Fort Bragg, NC17 mi
- Bunnlevel, NC19 mi
- Pinehurst, NC19 mi
- Lillington, NC19 mi
- Aberdeen, NC20 mi
- Linden, NC20 mi
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