NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Moravian Falls, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Moravian Falls, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 55
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Moravian Falls
The strongest storm to pass near Moravian Falls was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Moravian Falls begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 21 miles away. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Moravian Falls. The strongest of the 55 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 7, 1998; its path came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on January 9, 2024, killed 1 person. Of the 55, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on September 26, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Moravian Falls. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Moravian Falls has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Moravian Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 54 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 63 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 Moravian Falls: 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 Moravian Falls
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s14
- 2000s4
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s9
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1998 | F4 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 26, 2022 | EF2 | 15 mi | 5.97 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 22 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2005 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2005 | F2 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F2 | 21 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 1954 | F2 | 24 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1951 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 9.02 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F1 | 25 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Moravian Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Moravian Falls since 1974, made on 59 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 5, 1993. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Moravian Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is W Kerr Scott Resv, NC, 5 miles northwest of Moravian Falls at 1,070 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 27°F. August is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 52.6 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (26.0 of 52.6 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 81°F and 4.4 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 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 52.6 inches is more than at 92 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (66%). Wilkesboro, 4 miles north, has its own station (N Wilkesboro, NC): 51.8 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 27 | 4.5 | 7 | 3.1 |
| Feb | 53 | 29 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Mar | 61 | 36 | 4.6 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 71 | 44 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 62 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 46 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 36 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 30 | 4.6 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Year | 70 | 46 | 52.6 | 86 | 7.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at W Kerr Scott Resv, NC (1,070 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 Moravian Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 235 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Moravian Falls: 172 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events, 13 floods and 8 lightning strikes. They killed 7 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on April 4, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 11 of 28. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 368 have had fewer than Moravian Falls.
November 12, 2020: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Moravian Falls — 5 killed, $350,000 damage.
November 12, 2020: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Moravian Falls — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
November 12, 2020: flood 7 miles from the centre of Moravian Falls — 1 killed, $100,000 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
Wilkes County, which includes Moravian Falls, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 3 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wilkes County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.1 million a year, the 39th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.5 million (77%), 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 Moravian Falls
- Wilkesboro, NC4 mi
- North Wilkesboro, NC7 mi
- Hiddenite, NC11 mi
- Taylorsville, NC11 mi
- Millers Creek, NC13 mi
- Union Grove, NC14 mi
- Roaring River, NC14 mi
- Purlear, NC15 mi
- Ronda, NC16 mi
- Hays, NC17 mi
- Stony Point, NC17 mi
- Olin, NC18 mi
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