NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Flat Rock, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Flat Rock, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 29
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Flat Rock
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Flat Rock; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Flat Rock begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 68 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 86% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Flat Rock. The highest rating among the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2020, came within 18 miles. Of the 29, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. October has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Flat Rock. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 109 times since 1963, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Flat Rock has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Flat Rock
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 54 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 Flat Rock: 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 Flat Rock
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s7
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s8
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.97 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 10, 1975 | F2 | 22 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1973 | F2 | 20 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1999 | F1 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F1 | 15 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 1977 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1977 | F1 | 7 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 3 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Flat Rock
The Storm Prediction Center has 109 hail reports within 10 miles of Flat Rock since 1963, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 11, 1997. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. June has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Flat Rock
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hendersonville 1 NE, NC, 5 miles northwest of Flat Rock at 2,160 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.1 inches; the year adds up to 59.3 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (30.2 of 59.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 78°F and 5.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 88 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 59.3 inches is more than at 122 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (87%). Saluda, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Tryon, NC): 64.4 inches a year, 5.1 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 27 | 5.3 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 52 | 29 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 5.0 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 68 | 43 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 56 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 34 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 51 | 29 | 5.3 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 59.3 | 87 | 6.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hendersonville 1 NE, NC (2,160 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 Flat Rock
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 165 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Flat Rock: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 38 flash floods, 21 floods, 10 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 3 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $16.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on July 8, 2001. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 38. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 416 have had fewer than Flat Rock.
May 28, 2018: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Flat Rock — 2 killed.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Flat Rock — 1 killed, $15.0 million damage.
August 10, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Flat Rock — 2 injured, $25,000 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 Flat Rock's ZIP code 28731 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2012, and were paid $616,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 10 claims (63% of all) and $566,000. 81% 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, 41 have fewer than Flat Rock.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 10 | $566,000 |
Henderson County, which includes Flat Rock, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henderson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $40.7 million a year, the 32nd highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.9 million (46%), 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 Flat Rock
- East Flat Rock, NCunder 1 mi
- Saluda, NC5 mi
- Hendersonville, NC5 mi
- Zirconia, NC6 mi
- Etowah, NC11 mi
- Tryon, NC12 mi
- Mills River, NC12 mi
- Fletcher, NC12 mi
- Horse Shoe, NC12 mi
- Columbus, NC13 mi
- Landrum, SC14 mi
- Mill Spring, NC14 mi
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