NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elk Park, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Elk Park, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 17
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Elk Park
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elk Park; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Elk Park begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 7 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 99% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Elk Park. The strongest of the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on July 10, 1980; its path came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on April 27, 2011, killed 2 people. Of the 17, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elk Park. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elk Park.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elk Park
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Elk Park: 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 Elk Park
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s4
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1980 | F3 | 20 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 1965 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2023 | EF1 | 4 mi | 2.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 6.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 2002 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1998 | F1 | 17 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 16, 1989 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F1 | 23 mi | 16.2 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elk Park
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Elk Park since 1971, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 9, 2008. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elk Park
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beech Mountain, NC, 5 miles east of Elk Park at 5,053 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 69°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 57.8 inches over 121 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 125 nights a year. Snowfall averages 66.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 57.8 inches is more than at 117 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (84%). Banner Elk, 6 miles east, has its own station (Banner Elk, NC): 53.8 inches a year, 4.0 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 69°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 20 | 5.2 | 11 | 16.6 |
| Feb | 37 | 22 | 4.2 | 10 | 16.5 |
| Mar | 43 | 28 | 4.8 | 10 | 13.0 |
| Apr | 53 | 36 | 4.9 | 11 | 4.4 |
| May | 61 | 46 | 5.7 | 12 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 66 | 54 | 4.9 | 12 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 69 | 57 | 6.0 | 12 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 68 | 56 | 5.0 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 63 | 51 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 55 | 41 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 46 | 31 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 4.8 | 11 | 13.2 |
| Year | 53 | 39 | 57.8 | 121 | 66.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beech Mountain, NC (5,053 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 Elk Park
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elk Park: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 35 flash floods, 22 floods, 14 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $253.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 14, 2023. October has had the most flash floods, 8 of 35. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 408 have had fewer than Elk Park.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Elk Park — 2 killed, 4 injured, $250.0 million damage.
August 13, 2021: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Elk Park — 7 injured.
July 2, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Elk Park — 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Elk Park's ZIP code 28622 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2003, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 15 claims (75% of all) and $1.3 million. 90% 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, 64 have fewer than Elk Park.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 15 | $1.3 million |
Avery County, which includes Elk Park, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Avery County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.3 million a year, the 77th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.9 million (70%), 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 Elk Park
- Banner Elk, NC6 mi
- Roan Mountain, TN8 mi
- Sugar Grove, NC9 mi
- Newland, NC9 mi
- Butler, TN11 mi
- Vilas, NC12 mi
- Hampton, TN14 mi
- Bakersville, NC15 mi
- Blowing Rock, NC15 mi
- Zionville, NC16 mi
- Boone, NC17 mi
- Elizabethton, TN18 mi
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