NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hillsborough, 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
41 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hillsborough, North Carolina since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 48 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 38
- Tornadoes
- 48
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Hillsborough
The strongest storm to pass near Hillsborough was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1896, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Hillsborough begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 32 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 7 systems. Of the 41 systems, 7 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 50% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Hillsborough. The strongest of the 48 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 27, 1988; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 48, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on July 6, 2025. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hillsborough. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Hillsborough has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hillsborough
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 21 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 45 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormSep 3 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 2 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 36 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormJun 23 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hillsborough: 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 Hillsborough
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s8
- 2000s5
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s2
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 27, 1988 | F4 | 24 mi | 83 mi | 4 / 154 |
| Nov 23, 1992 | F3 | 2 mi | 5.5 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 3 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1998 | F2 | 18 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 29, 1991 | F2 | 14 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 11 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1984 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 18, 1956 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F2 | 17 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 2025 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 48, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hillsborough
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Hillsborough since 1961, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 14, 1967. The most recent report is from October 17, 2022. May has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hillsborough
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Durham 11 W, NC, 8 miles south of Hillsborough at 562 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 30°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (24.4 of 46.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 41 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 5.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 71 nights a year. That 46.7 inches is more than at 25 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (18%). Cedar Grove, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Yanceyville 4 SE, NC): 48.2 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 30 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 54 | 32 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 4.0 | 6 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 66 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 60 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 61 | 38 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Year | 70 | 48 | 46.7 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Durham 11 W, NC (562 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 Hillsborough
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 244 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hillsborough: 202 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 flash floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 24, 2016. July has had the most flash floods, 13 of 37. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 413 have had fewer than Hillsborough.
June 28, 2020: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Hillsborough — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
July 6, 2025: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Hillsborough — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
June 1, 2002: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Hillsborough — 1 injured.
NWS: “Trees were blown over. One fell onto a car, injuring one person.”
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 Hillsborough's ZIP code 27278 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $1.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2025, with 11. 66% 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, 90 have fewer than Hillsborough.
Orange County, which includes Hillsborough, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 hurricanes, 3 ice storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Depression Chantal, on September 11, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Orange County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $49.7 million a year, the 27th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.3 million (67%), 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 Hillsborough
- Efland, NC5 mi
- Cedar Grove, NC10 mi
- Mebane, NC10 mi
- Carrboro, NC12 mi
- Chapel Hill, NC12 mi
- Durham, NC13 mi
- Hurdle Mills, NC13 mi
- Bahama, NC13 mi
- Haw River, NC14 mi
- Rougemont, NC16 mi
- Graham, NC16 mi
- Timberlake, NC17 mi
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