NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit King, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of King, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 52
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for King
The strongest storm to pass near King was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near King begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 31 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 4 systems. Of the 18 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than King. The highest rating among the 52 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 8, 2008, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 20, 1998, killed 2 people. Of the 52, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2022. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than King. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than King.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near King
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 70 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in King: 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 King
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s7
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s5
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1998 | F3 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 27 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF3 | 20 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1998 | F3 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 5, 1989 | F3 | 14 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 22, 1985 | F3 | 14 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 3.85 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 3 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5.94 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 22 mi | 0.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 22 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 13 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in King
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of King since 1970, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 23, 2005. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. June has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in King
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winston Salem Rynlds Airport, NC, 13 miles southeast of King at 970 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 31°F. August is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 43.3 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (22.6 of 43.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 64 nights a year. That 43.3 inches is more than at 5 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (4%). Pinnacle, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Yadkinville 6 E, NC): 46.7 inches a year, 3.4 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 31 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 78 | 57 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 68 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 61 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 71 | 49 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 60 | 39 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 52 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Year | 69 | 50 | 43.3 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Winston Salem Rynlds Airport, NC (970 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 King
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 265 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of King: 230 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 5 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 2, 2011. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 347 have had fewer than King.
October 11, 2018: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of King — $1.4 million damage.
February 6, 2020: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of King — $1.1 million damage.
October 11, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of King — $659,000 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
Stokes County, which includes King, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight, on October 19, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stokes County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.9 million a year, the 78th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (68%), 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 King
- Tobaccoville, NC4 mi
- Rural Hall, NC5 mi
- Pinnacle, NC6 mi
- Germanton, NC7 mi
- Pfafftown, NC8 mi
- Pilot Mountain, NC10 mi
- East Bend, NC12 mi
- Walnut Cove, NC12 mi
- Westfield, NC13 mi
- Walkertown, NC13 mi
- Lewisville, NC14 mi
- Ararat, NC15 mi
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