NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leicester, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Leicester, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 16
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Leicester
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Leicester; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Leicester begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 66 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 10 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 91% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Leicester. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 11 times; the most recent, on June 13, 2013, came within 24 miles. Of the 16, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Leicester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1981, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Leicester.
Compare Leicester's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Leicester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Leicester: 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 Leicester
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4
- 1990s3
- 1970s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.88 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1999 | F1 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F1 | 12 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 6 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 14 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 11 mi | 28.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 1975 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF0 | 22 mi | 2.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leicester
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Leicester since 1981, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 16, 1998. The most recent report is from June 24, 2025. June has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leicester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Candler 1 W, NC, 8 miles south of Leicester at 2,240 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 25°F. September is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.0 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (23.1 of 45.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.0 inches is more than at 16 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (11%). Alexander, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Marshall, NC): 41.7 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 25 | 3.6 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 52 | 28 | 3.0 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.0 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Apr | 68 | 41 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 75 | 50 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 43 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 33 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 51 | 28 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.9 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 45.0 | 82 | 10.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Candler 1 W, NC (2,240 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 Leicester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leicester: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 5 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $38.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 25, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 124 have had fewer than Leicester.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Leicester — 5 killed, $10.0 million damage.
July 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Leicester — 3 injured.
July 4, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Leicester — 1 injured.
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 Leicester's ZIP code 28748 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2004, and were paid $89,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 73% 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, 10 have fewer than Leicester.
Buncombe County, which includes Leicester, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Buncombe County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $82.4 million a year, the 14th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $48.1 million (58%), 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.