NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kinston, 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
106 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kinston, North Carolina since 1851, 25 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ophelia in 2023. Since 1950, 121 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 25
- Tropical storms
- 81
- Tornadoes
- 121
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Kinston
The strongest storm to pass near Kinston was an unnamed storm in 1879, a Category 3 hurricane with 113 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Bertha in 1996, whose centre came within 5 miles. The record near Kinston begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ophelia in 2023, a tropical storm 24 miles away. The 1990s and the 2000s were the busiest decades, with 9 systems each. Of the 106 systems, 20 have come since 2000. Kinston has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 84% of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site. The highest rating among the 121 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 28, 1984, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 28, 1984, killed 16 people. Of the 121, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2024. Kinston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than any other of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 85 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Kinston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kinston
Of the 106 tracks on the map, 62 were moving northeast as they passed Kinston, 29 north and 6 east. The unnamed 1879 storm, the strongest pass, was heading north and came ashore 69 miles southeast of Kinston. Within 75 miles of Kinston, 34 of the 106 came ashore, 19 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 28 came near Kinston: 9.3 a decade, against 5.4 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | OpheliaSep 23 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 21 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 14 | 73 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2014 | ArthurJul 4 | 68 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | BerylMay 30 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 27 | 65 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | GabrielleSep 9 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2007 | BarryJun 3 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoSep 1 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 14 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 18 | 50 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | KyleOct 12 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 23 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 16 | 26 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1999 | DennisSep 5 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 4 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1998 | BonnieAug 27 | 38 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1997 | DannyJul 24 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 8 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 59 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 5 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1986 | CharleyAug 17 | 71 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1984 | DianaSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1982 | Unnamed 1982 stormJun 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1981 | DennisAug 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 21 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1971 | GingerOct 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1971 | DoriaAug 27 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1970 | Unnamed 1970 stormAug 17 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | IsbellOct 16 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1964 | DoraSep 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 44 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 10 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 17 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 27 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | IoneSep 19 | 51 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 17 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 12 | 59 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 45 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 13 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 25 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormJul 6 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormJun 26 | 68 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 19 | 16 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 2 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 24 | 55 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormSep 6 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 16 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormSep 3 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 20 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormSep 1 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormJul 31 | 51 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 11 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 54 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormJun 16 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 11 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 20 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 25 | 38 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 23 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormSep 10 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormSep 9 | 46 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 18 | 61 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 31 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 17 | 9 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 25 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormJun 23 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 2 | 68 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 27 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1857 | Unnamed 1857 stormSep 13 | 38 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 19 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 10 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 25 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Kinston: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Kinston
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s26
- 1990s36
- 1980s9(3 EF3+)
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1984 | F4 | 10 mi | 28 mi | 16 / 153 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F4 | 19 mi | 21 mi | 3 / 149 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 20.42 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F3 | 11 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 81 |
| Mar 4, 1977 | F3 | 15 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1972 | F3 | 22 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 8, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 9.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 2014 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 2008 | EF2 | 13 mi | 1.47 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 15, 1999 | F2 | 16 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Mar 8, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 121, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kinston
The Storm Prediction Center has 85 hail reports within 10 miles of Kinston since 1958, made on 67 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 16, 2000. The most recent report is from May 23, 2022. May has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kinston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kinston Ag Rsch, NC, 3 miles northeast of Kinston at 60 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 35°F. September is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 52.8 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 59% of the year's precipitation (31.4 of 52.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 106 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (41); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 6.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 62 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 45 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in January and December. That 52.8 inches is more than at 93 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (66%). La Grange, 11 miles west, has its own station (Goldsboro 4 SE, NC): 52.2 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 35 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 60 | 37 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 67 | 42 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 75 | 51 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 60 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 70 | 6.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 64 | 6.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 53 | 3.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Year | 74 | 53 | 52.8 | 75 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kinston Ag Rsch, NC (60 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 Kinston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 139 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kinston: 107 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 10 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $434,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 16, 2014. August has had the most flash floods, 11 of 20. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 284 have had fewer than Kinston.
October 11, 2016: flood 6 miles from the centre of Kinston — 1 killed.
NWS: “Man on horseback was trying to rescue some cattle from flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew and fell into water and drowned.”
October 13, 2016: flood 10 miles from the centre of Kinston — 1 killed.
October 13, 2016: flood 2 miles from the centre of Kinston — 1 killed.
NWS: “Mans body found in out-building near Neuse River. Out-building was flooded due to Hurricane Matthew.”
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 Kinston's 2 ZIP codes have filed 735 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $41.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Floyd in 1999: 235 claims (32% of all) and $8.8 million, then Hurricane Matthew in 2016 with 225 and Hurricane Florence in 2018 with 128. 93% 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, 233 have fewer than Kinston.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Floyd1999 | 235 | $8.8 million |
| Hurricane Matthew2016 | 225 | $22.5 million |
| Hurricane Florence2018 | 128 | $8.9 million |
| Hurricane Fran1996 | 55 | $648,000 |
| Hurricane Charley2004 | 16 | $73,000 |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 13 | $51,000 |
Lenoir County, which includes Kinston, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 20 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms, 1 ice storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Isaias, on October 14, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lenoir County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.7 million a year, the 37th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.7 million (41%), is from hurricanes.
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 Kinston
- La Grange, NC11 mi
- Hookerton, NC11 mi
- Deep Run, NC11 mi
- Grifton, NC12 mi
- Snow Hill, NC14 mi
- Seven Springs, NC16 mi
- Cove City, NC16 mi
- Trenton, NC17 mi
- Ayden, NC17 mi
- Pink Hill, NC18 mi
- Winterville, NC22 mi
- Goldsboro, NC23 mi
All North Carolina cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Kinston with another place →