NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mills River, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mills River, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 22
- 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 Mills River
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mills River; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Mills River begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 65 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mills River. The highest rating among the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2020, came within 24 miles. Of the 22, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mills River. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 137 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Mills River has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mills River
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | overhead | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 66 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 Mills River: 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 Mills River
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s5
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF2 | 24 mi | 7.97 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 10, 1975 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1999 | F1 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1977 | F1 | 11 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 20 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 22 mi | 28.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 12 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 22, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mills River
The Storm Prediction Center has 137 hail reports within 10 miles of Mills River since 1962, made on 107 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 1, 2012. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. June has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mills River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Asheville 13 S, NC, 2 miles north of Mills River at 2,103 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 51.6 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (26.6 of 51.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); 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 96 nights a year. That 51.6 inches is more than at 84 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (60%). Arden, 5 miles north, has its own station (Asheville Regional Airport, NC): 49.6 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 27 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Apr | 67 | 42 | 4.3 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 5.3 | 10 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 34 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 50 | 30 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 51.6 | 85 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Asheville 13 S, NC (2,103 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 Mills River
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 216 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mills River: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 43 flash floods, 37 floods, 14 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on January 23, 1999. November has had the most flash floods, 8 of 43. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 435 have had fewer than Mills River.
August 10, 2001: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Mills River — 2 injured, $25,000 damage.
July 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Mills River — 1 injured.
July 5, 2011: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Mills River — 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
Henderson County, which includes Mills River, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 3 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 Henderson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; 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 $40.7 million a year, the 32nd highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.9 million (46%), 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 Mills River
- Horse Shoe, NC3 mi
- Arden, NC5 mi
- Fletcher, NC6 mi
- Etowah, NC6 mi
- Hendersonville, NC7 mi
- Pisgah Forest, NC10 mi
- East Flat Rock, NC11 mi
- Flat Rock, NC12 mi
- Candler, NC12 mi
- Asheville, NC13 mi
- Zirconia, NC14 mi
- Fairview, NC14 mi
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