Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Claremont, NC

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hickory Faa Airport, NC, 14 miles west of Claremont at 1,143 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 30°F. August is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (24.3 of 47.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 69 nights a year. That 47.3 inches is more than at 36 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (26%). Catawba, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Statesville 2 NNE, NC): 46.7 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 192 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Claremont: 164 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 6 floods, 5 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $65.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 14, 2006. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 216 have had fewer than Claremont.

Flood insurance policyholders in Claremont's ZIP code 28610 have filed 55 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1995, and were paid $2.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 10 claims (18% of all) and $545,000. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 16. 33% 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, 145 have fewer than Claremont.