NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Charlotte, 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
38 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Charlotte, North Carolina since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 35
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Charlotte
The strongest storm to pass near Charlotte was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 13 miles. The record near Charlotte begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 36 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems. Of the 38 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 50% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Charlotte. The strongest of the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 5, 1989; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 86, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Charlotte has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 177 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Charlotte has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Charlotte
Of the 38 tracks on the map, 23 were moving northeast as they passed Charlotte, 10 north and 3 northwest. The unnamed 1896 storm, the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 68 miles southeast of Charlotte. None made landfall within 75 miles of Charlotte; 28 of the 38 were hurricanes at their peak, 3 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 6 came near Charlotte: 2.0 a decade, against 2.2 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 21 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 24 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 10 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 68 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 13 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Charlotte: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Charlotte
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s9
- 2000s11
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16
- 1960s8
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 15 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | in town | 18.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F3 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 25 mi | 6.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 25 mi | 8.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2012 | EF2 | 8 mi | 2.94 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 9, 2008 | EF2 | 8 mi | 18.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 2004 | F2 | 13 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1999 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1992 | F2 | 8 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Mar 6, 1983 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 18, 1980 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Charlotte
The Storm Prediction Center has 177 hail reports within 10 miles of Charlotte since 1955, made on 129 separate days. Of these, 88 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 3, 1974. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. May has the most reports, 54.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Charlotte
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC, 8 miles west of Charlotte at 728 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 32°F. August is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 43.7 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.3 of 43.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 38 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 83°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 58 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.7 inches is more than at 9 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (6%). Matthews, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Monroe Airport, NC): 38.0 inches a year, 5.7 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 32 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.6 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 64 | 41 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 63 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 3.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 55 | 35 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 43.7 | 73 | 3.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC (728 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 Charlotte
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 331 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Charlotte: 240 thunderstorm wind reports, 58 flash floods, 13 lightning strikes, 12 heavy rain events and 8 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $14.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 16, 1997. July has had the most flash floods, 16 of 58. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 452 have had fewer than Charlotte.
August 5, 2011: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Charlotte — 2 killed.
May 22, 2020: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Charlotte — 1 killed, 1 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency manager and media reported numerous trees blown down in the Dilworth and Elizabeth neighborhoods of Charlotte, with trees down on about a dozen homes. One tree was blown down on a house on Idlewood Circle that killed an occupant and seriously injured another.”
May 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Charlotte — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Tents, booths, and other property were blown down at an arts and food festival in uptown Charlotte. Some structures received 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 Charlotte's 25 ZIP codes have filed 2,769 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $59.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Eta in 2020: 74 claims (3% of all) and $3.7 million, then Hurricane Helene in 2024 with 68 and Hurricane Hugo in 1989 with 44. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 420. 10% 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, 252 have fewer than Charlotte.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Eta2020 | 74 | $3.7 million |
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 68 | $8.3 million |
| Hurricane Hugo1989 | 44 | $83,000 |
| Hurricane Florence2018 | 43 | $824,000 |
| Flooding1990 | 17 | $49,000 |
Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mecklenburg County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $318.0 million a year, the highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $256.4 million (81%), 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 Charlotte
- Pineville, NC9 mi
- Matthews, NC10 mi
- Harrisburg, NC13 mi
- Belmont, NC13 mi
- Indian Trail, NC13 mi
- Mount Holly, NC14 mi
- Huntersville, NC14 mi
- Fort Mill, SC15 mi
- Cramerton, NC15 mi
- Indian Land, SC15 mi
- Lowell, NC16 mi
- Midland, NC17 mi
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