NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lansing, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lansing, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Lansing
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lansing; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Lansing begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 16 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 96% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Lansing. The strongest of the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on October 8, 2017. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lansing. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1988, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lansing.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lansing
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lansing: 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 Lansing
By decade
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s1
- 1970s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 19.63 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jan 25, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 17 mi | 7.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 25 mi | 3.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2005 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1973 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 10, 1959 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2017 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2009 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lansing
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Lansing since 1988, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 12, 2021. The most recent report is from May 26, 2024. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lansing
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jefferson 2 E, NC, 10 miles southeast of Lansing at 2,759 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.0 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.0 inches is more than at 79 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (56%). Damascus, VA, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Mountain City 2, TN): 47.3 inches a year, 3.7 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 3.9 | 6 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 47 | 24 | 3.3 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 54 | 29 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 63 | 36 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 53 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 39 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 29 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 25 | 4.0 | 7 | 3.7 |
| Year | 63 | 39 | 51.0 | 83 | 14.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jefferson 2 E, NC (2,759 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 Lansing
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 125 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lansing: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events and 8 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $61.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 25, 2024. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 421 have had fewer than Lansing.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Lansing — 1 killed, $61.0 million damage.
NWS: “Considerable to catastrophic flash flooding occurred across Grayson County. This included at least 200 bridges or culverts that were completely washed out, making the roads impassible.”
July 8, 2016: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lansing — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were blown down by thunderstorm winds across portions of Ashe County. An estimated 50 power poles were snapped in the county by thunderstorm winds.”
February 6, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Lansing — $139,000 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 Lansing's ZIP code 28643 have filed 38 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $1.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 22 claims (58% of all) and $1.8 million. 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, 106 have fewer than Lansing.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 22 | $1.8 million |
Ashe County, which includes Lansing, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ashe County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.8 million a year, the 61st highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.9 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 Lansing
- Jefferson, NC10 mi
- West Jefferson, NC11 mi
- Damascus, VA15 mi
- Fleetwood, NC17 mi
- Mountain City, TN17 mi
- Chilhowie, VA18 mi
- Zionville, NC19 mi
- Marion, VA20 mi
- Independence, VA21 mi
- Glade Spring, VA21 mi
- Sparta, NC22 mi
- Vilas, NC23 mi
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