NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lawndale, 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
21 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lawndale, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 20
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Lawndale
The strongest storm to pass near Lawndale was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Lawndale begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 48 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 21 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Lawndale. The highest rating among the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 5, 1989, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 5, 1989, killed 4 people. Of the 87, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Lawndale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 93 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Lawndale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lawndale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 58 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 39 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 Lawndale: 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 Lawndale
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s20
- 2000s19
- 1990s15
- 1980s3(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 2 mi | 14 mi | 4 / 52 |
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 2 / 35 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 11 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 21 mi | 8.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 22 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 4.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | EF2 | 15 mi | 4.15 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | EF2 | 12 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF2 | 8 mi | 2.58 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lawndale
The Storm Prediction Center has 93 hail reports within 10 miles of Lawndale since 1974, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 11 days, most recently May 16, 2023. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. May has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lawndale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelby 2 NW, NC, 10 miles south of Lawndale at 820 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 27°F. March is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 50.5 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 50.5 inches). September has brought the most of the 21 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 88 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.5 inches is more than at 73 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (52%). Vale, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Lincolnton 4 W, NC): 49.6 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 27 | 4.3 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Feb | 57 | 30 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 64 | 36 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 73 | 45 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 54 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 62 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 66 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 58 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 45 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 35 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 55 | 29 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Year | 72 | 46 | 50.5 | 79 | 4.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelby 2 NW, NC (820 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 Lawndale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lawndale: 133 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 27, 2007.
June 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Lawndale — 1 killed.
NWS: “A tree fell across Ed Willis Rd. A vehicle collided with the fallen tree, killing the 19-year-old female driver.”
May 16, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lawndale — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
June 1, 2018: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Lawndale — 1 injured.
NWS: “County comms reported a woman on Shelby Rd was injured when lightning struck and caused a power surge to her stove.”
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
Cleveland County, which includes Lawndale, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cleveland County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.3 million a year, the 44th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.4 million (57%), 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 Lawndale
- Vale, NC10 mi
- Cherryville, NC11 mi
- Shelby, NC11 mi
- Ellenboro, NC13 mi
- Bostic, NC13 mi
- Crouse, NC14 mi
- Connelly Springs, NC17 mi
- Mooresboro, NC18 mi
- Lincolnton, NC18 mi
- Kings Mountain, NC18 mi
- Grover, NC19 mi
- Bessemer City, NC19 mi
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