NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clemmons, 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 Clemmons, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 23
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Clemmons
The strongest storm to pass near Clemmons was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Clemmons begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 45 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems. Of the 24 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Clemmons. The highest rating among the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 28, 2010, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on November 16, 2011, killed 2 people. Of the 63, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2022. Clemmons has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 55% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1970, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Clemmons has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clemmons
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | overhead | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 69 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 37 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 Clemmons: 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 Clemmons
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s13(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s5
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2010 | EF3 | 20 mi | 3.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF3 | 3 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1998 | F3 | in town | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 5, 1989 | F3 | 9 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 22, 1985 | F3 | 9 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 16, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 12.51 mi | 2 / 15 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 21 mi | 3.85 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 11 mi | 5.94 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 4 mi | 0.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clemmons
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Clemmons since 1970, made on 69 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 8 days, most recently May 2, 2016. The most recent report is from June 26, 2023. June has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clemmons
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Yadkinville 6 E, NC, 11 miles northwest of Clemmons at 875 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 46.7 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (24.1 of 46.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 24 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.7 inches is more than at 25 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (18%). Advance, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Mocksville 5SE, NC): 47.0 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 25 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Feb | 52 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 34 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 70 | 43 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 58 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 28 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.9 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 46.7 | 79 | 7.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Yadkinville 6 E, NC (875 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 Clemmons
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 268 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clemmons: 234 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 20, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 30. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 381 have had fewer than Clemmons.
March 5, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Clemmons — 1 killed, 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
May 3, 2016: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Clemmons — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree was blown down onto a bus near Clemmons, resulting in an injury.”
October 11, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Clemmons — $500,000 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 Clemmons's ZIP code 27012 have filed 40 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $279,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 23% 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, 114 have fewer than Clemmons.
Forsyth County, which includes Clemmons, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Forsyth County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $104.1 million a year, the 10th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $71.9 million (69%), 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 Clemmons
- Lewisville, NC5 mi
- Advance, NC6 mi
- Winston Salem, NC9 mi
- Pfafftown, NC11 mi
- Mocksville, NC12 mi
- East Bend, NC14 mi
- Tobaccoville, NC14 mi
- Rural Hall, NC15 mi
- Yadkinville, NC16 mi
- Walkertown, NC16 mi
- Lexington, NC16 mi
- Kernersville, NC18 mi
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