NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Old Fort, 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 Old Fort, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 21
- 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 Old Fort
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Old Fort; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Old Fort begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 20 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 Old Fort. The strongest of the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on May 7, 1998; its path came within 11 miles. Of the 21, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Old Fort. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 123 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Old Fort has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Old Fort
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 67 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 Old Fort: 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 Old Fort
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s4
- 1970s6
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2010 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1999 | F1 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1977 | F1 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 25 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 12 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 16 mi | 28.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | F1 | 23 mi | 10.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 1956 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 29, 2024 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Old Fort
The Storm Prediction Center has 123 hail reports within 10 miles of Old Fort since 1974, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 5 days, most recently July 1, 2023. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. June has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Old Fort
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Mitchell, NC, 11 miles northwest of Old Fort at 6,240 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 67°F and low of 52°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 17°F. September is the wettest at 8.8 inches of precipitation on average and June the driest at 5.5 inches; the year adds up to 81.2 inches over 118 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (41.4 of 81.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 61°F and 8.8 inches of precipitation. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 89.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 81.2 inches is more than at 137 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (98%). Black Mountain, 8 miles west, has its own station (Swannanoa 2 SSE, NC): 53.0 inches a year, 28.2 less than here, and a July average high of 76°F against 67°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 17 | 7.5 | 10 | 19.2 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 5.6 | 9 | 18.6 |
| Mar | 41 | 24 | 7.2 | 11 | 18.5 |
| Apr | 50 | 32 | 6.5 | 10 | 7.1 |
| May | 58 | 41 | 6.1 | 10 | 1.4 |
| Jun | 64 | 49 | 5.5 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 67 | 52 | 6.9 | 12 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 66 | 51 | 7.7 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 61 | 46 | 8.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 54 | 37 | 6.3 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 6.2 | 8 | 3.9 |
| Dec | 38 | 21 | 6.9 | 10 | 19.7 |
| Year | 51 | 35 | 81.2 | 118 | 89.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Mitchell, NC (6,240 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 Old Fort
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 148 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Old Fort: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 14 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 26 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $701.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 1, 2016. September has had the most flash floods, 7 of 24. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 328 have had fewer than Old Fort.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Old Fort — 15 killed, $300.0 million damage.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Old Fort — 9 killed, $300.0 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall rates began to intensify as tropical rainbands near the center of Helene swept across the area during the morning hours after 10-17 inches of rain fell across much of the county, with amounts over 20 inches reported in the eastern part of the county.”
September 26, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Old Fort — 1 killed, $100.0 million damage.
NWS: “Stream gauges and emergency management reported catastrophic flash flooding developed along the Catawba River basin after 15-22 inches of rain fell across the western half of the county over three days. Dozens of structures were damaged or destroyed in the Old Fort area alone.”
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 Old Fort's ZIP code 28762 have filed 39 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $4.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 23 claims (59% of all) and $4.0 million. 62% 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, 110 have fewer than Old Fort.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 23 | $4.0 million |
McDowell County, which includes Old Fort, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 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 McDowell County a Relatively 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 $16.8 million a year, the 66th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.6 million (69%), 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 Old Fort
- Black Mountain, NC8 mi
- Marion, NC11 mi
- Lake Lure, NC12 mi
- Swannanoa, NC13 mi
- Fairview, NC13 mi
- Nebo, NC16 mi
- Barnardsville, NC16 mi
- Union Mills, NC16 mi
- Burnsville, NC20 mi
- Mill Spring, NC20 mi
- Spruce Pine, NC21 mi
- Asheville, NC21 mi
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