NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lowell, 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
29 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lowell, North Carolina since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 27
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Lowell
The strongest storm to pass near Lowell was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 77 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hugo in 1989, whose centre came within 12 miles. The record near Lowell begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 53 miles away. The 1880s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 29 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 61% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Lowell. The strongest of the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on March 27, 1994; its path came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on April 2, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 106, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Lowell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 139 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Lowell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
Compare Lowell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lowell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 12 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 29 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lowell: 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 Lowell
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s15
- 2000s22
- 1990s22(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s18
- 1960s7
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 8 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 11 mi | 8.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2012 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.94 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 9, 2008 | EF2 | in town | 18.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 2004 | F2 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 45.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 10, 1992 | F2 | 12 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 18 |
| May 28, 1973 | F2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1973 | F2 | 8 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1973 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lowell
The Storm Prediction Center has 139 hail reports within 10 miles of Lowell since 1962, made on 103 separate days. Of these, 75 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 3, 1974. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. June has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lowell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gastonia, NC, 3 miles west of Lowell at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 31°F. August is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.1 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (22.6 of 44.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 29 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 61 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.1 inches is more than at 11 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (8%). Belmont, 4 miles southeast, has its own station (Charlotte Douglas Airport, NC): 43.7 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 57 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 63 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 35 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 44.1 | 70 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gastonia, NC (700 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 Lowell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 208 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lowell: 184 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 9 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 4 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $28.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 28, 2010. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Lowell.
March 23, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Lowell — 2 killed, 1 injured.
June 9, 2019: flood 4 miles from the centre of Lowell — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
July 5, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lowell — 1 killed.
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
Gaston County, which includes Lowell, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 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 Gaston County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $59.3 million a year, the 21st highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.3 million (61%), 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.