NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Highlands, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Highlands, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Highlands
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Highlands; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Highlands begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 22 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Highlands. The highest rating among the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 13 miles. Of the 33, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Highlands. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1985, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Highlands.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Highlands
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 66 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 Highlands: 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 Highlands
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s4
- 1990s4(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 13 mi | 36.99 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 18 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F2 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 28, 1976 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 1975 | F2 | 22 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1973 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1973 | F2 | 14 mi | 22.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 9.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF1 | 10 mi | 3.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 2005 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Highlands
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Highlands since 1985, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Highlands
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Highlands, NC, in Highlands at 3,850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 24°F. December is the wettest at 8.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 6.5 inches; the year adds up to 88.5 inches over 105 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (43.7 of 88.5 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 71°F and 8.0 inches of precipitation. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 88.5 inches is more than at 138 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (99%). Otto, 12 miles west, has its own station (Coweeta Exp Stn, NC): 72.2 inches a year, 16.3 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 24 | 8.0 | 9 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 6.9 | 8 | 2.0 |
| Mar | 54 | 32 | 7.6 | 9 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 7.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 6.6 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 75 | 54 | 7.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 58 | 7.1 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 57 | 7.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 51 | 8.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 6.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 7.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 45 | 27 | 8.7 | 9 | 3.5 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 88.5 | 105 | 10.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Highlands, NC (3,850 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 Highlands
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Highlands: 36 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on February 13, 2000. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Highlands.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Highlands — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A stream gauge on the Cullasaja River in the Gneiss community indicated flash flooding developed along the lower portion of the river after 10-15 inches of rain fell across the headwaters over three days. 5 inches of that fell in less than six hours during the early morning of the 27th.”
September 16, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Highlands — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
July 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Highlands — 1 injured.
NWS: “A person was injured when a tree fell on his/her home.”
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
Macon County, which includes Highlands, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Macon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 50th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 million (41%), 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 Highlands
- Otto, NC12 mi
- Franklin, NC13 mi
- Rabun Gap, GA13 mi
- Cullowhee, NC14 mi
- Clayton, GA17 mi
- Lake Toxaway, NC17 mi
- Salem, SC19 mi
- Tiger, GA21 mi
- Sylva, NC21 mi
- Walhalla, SC22 mi
- Sunset, SC22 mi
- West Union, SC23 mi
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