NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Davidson, 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
26 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Davidson, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 25
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Davidson
The strongest storm to pass near Davidson was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Davidson begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 68 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems. Of the 26 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Davidson. The strongest of the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on March 27, 1994; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on January 9, 2024, killed 1 person. Of the 93, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Davidson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 122 times since 1978, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Davidson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Davidson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 19 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 19 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 Davidson: 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 Davidson
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s15
- 2000s12
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s18
- 1960s8
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 18 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 15 mi | 6.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.94 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2008 | EF2 | 12 mi | 18.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F2 | 24 mi | 45.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 10, 1992 | F2 | 25 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 28, 1973 | F2 | 13 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1968 | F2 | 21 mi | 16.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1965 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Davidson
The Storm Prediction Center has 122 hail reports within 10 miles of Davidson since 1978, made on 87 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 11, 2008. The most recent report is from June 26, 2023. May has the most reports, 51.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Davidson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Concord, NC, 15 miles east of Davidson at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 29°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (25.7 of 47.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 26 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 61 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 74 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.8 inches is more than at 41 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (29%). Cornelius, 4 miles west, has its own station (Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC): 43.7 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Feb | 57 | 31 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Mar | 65 | 38 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 74 | 47 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 65 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 69 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 61 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 37 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 32 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Year | 73 | 48 | 47.8 | 76 | 3.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Concord, NC (700 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 Davidson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 190 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Davidson: 162 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 10 lightning strikes and 4 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 4, 1997. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 201 have had fewer than Davidson.
June 20, 2015: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Davidson — 1 killed.
May 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Davidson — 3 injured, $25,000 damage.
July 17, 2010: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Davidson — 2 injured.
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
Mecklenburg County, which includes Davidson, 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 Davidson
- Cornelius, NC4 mi
- Huntersville, NC6 mi
- Mooresville, NC6 mi
- Denver, NC10 mi
- Kannapolis, NC11 mi
- Sherrills Ford, NC12 mi
- Landis, NC13 mi
- Mount Ulla, NC14 mi
- Concord, NC14 mi
- Troutman, NC14 mi
- Harrisburg, NC14 mi
- China Grove, NC14 mi
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