NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mill Spring, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mill Spring, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 42 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 42
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Mill Spring
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mill Spring; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The record near Mill Spring begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 37 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mill Spring. The strongest of the 42 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 5, 1989; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 42, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. May and October have had the most tornadoes, 9 each. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mill Spring. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Mill Spring has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mill Spring
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 51 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 Mill Spring: 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 Mill Spring
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s11
- 2000s2
- 1990s7
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 21 mi | 15 mi | 2 / 35 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 22 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 45.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 17, 1985 | F2 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 39 |
| May 18, 1975 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2022 | EF1 | 23 mi | 5.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 21.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2005 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 42, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mill Spring
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Mill Spring since 1970, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 38 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 May 8, 2024. 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 Mill Spring
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tryon, NC, 10 miles southwest of Mill Spring at 1,320 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 32°F. August is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 4.5 inches; the year adds up to 64.4 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (32.5 of 64.4 inches). September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 5.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 51 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 64.4 inches is more than at 131 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (94%). Lake Lure, 8 miles north, has its own station (Swannanoa 2 SSE, NC): 53.0 inches a year, 11.4 less than here, and a July average high of 76°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 32 | 5.3 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 54 | 34 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 70 | 49 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 65 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 69 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 67 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 62 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 51 | 4.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 41 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 35 | 6.0 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Year | 69 | 50 | 64.4 | 87 | 4.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tryon, NC (1,320 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 Mill Spring
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 174 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mill Spring: 142 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 12 floods and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $36.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 13, 2001. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Mill Spring.
May 28, 2018: heavy rain event 10 miles from the centre of Mill Spring — 2 killed.
August 1, 2013: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Mill Spring — 1 killed, 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
September 26, 2024: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Mill Spring — 1 killed, $35.0 million 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
Polk County, which includes Mill Spring, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Polk County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.0 million a year, the 93rd highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (52%), 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 Mill Spring
- Columbus, NC6 mi
- Lake Lure, NC8 mi
- Tryon, NC8 mi
- Saluda, NC11 mi
- Rutherfordton, NC11 mi
- Landrum, SC13 mi
- East Flat Rock, NC14 mi
- Flat Rock, NC14 mi
- Spindale, NC15 mi
- Hendersonville, NC16 mi
- Campobello, SC16 mi
- Union Mills, NC17 mi
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