NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pilot Mountain, 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 Pilot Mountain, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 43
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Pilot Mountain
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pilot Mountain; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 71 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Pilot Mountain begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 21 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 3 systems. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 81% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pilot Mountain. The highest rating among the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 5, 1989, came within 24 miles. Of the 43, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on April 28, 2023. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pilot Mountain. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pilot Mountain.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pilot Mountain
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pilot Mountain: 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 Pilot Mountain
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9
- 2000s6
- 1990s6
- 1980s8(2 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s4
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F3 | 24 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 22, 1985 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2022 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 7 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.94 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 23 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Aug 21, 1977 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2022 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 14 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 21, 2013 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2011 | EF1 | 3 mi | 2.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 27, 2010 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pilot Mountain
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Pilot Mountain since 1967, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on June 1, 2002. The most recent report is from May 16, 2023. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pilot Mountain
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Airy 2 W, NC, 12 miles northwest of Pilot Mountain at 1,080 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 47°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 50.4 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 50.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.4 inches is more than at 71 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (51%). Pinnacle, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Yadkinville 6 E, NC): 46.7 inches a year, 3.7 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 | 25 | 4.0 | 7 | 3.1 |
| Feb | 51 | 27 | 3.1 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Mar | 58 | 33 | 4.2 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 59 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 33 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 28 | 4.2 | 7 | 1.7 |
| Year | 68 | 43 | 50.4 | 86 | 8.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Airy 2 W, NC (1,080 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 Pilot Mountain
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 305 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pilot Mountain: 246 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 14 floods, 6 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $5.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 22, 2006. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 404 have had fewer than Pilot Mountain.
June 24, 2012: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Pilot Mountain — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell on a mobile home. A 62 year old male occupant was injured in the process.”
April 11, 2024: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Pilot Mountain — 1 injured, $11,000 damage.
August 20, 2009: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Pilot Mountain — 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
Surry County, which includes Pilot Mountain, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Surry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.9 million a year, the 45th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.6 million (54%), 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 Pilot Mountain
- Pinnacle, NC5 mi
- Ararat, NC6 mi
- Westfield, NC9 mi
- King, NC10 mi
- Mount Airy, NC10 mi
- Tobaccoville, NC13 mi
- Dobson, NC14 mi
- East Bend, NC14 mi
- Rural Hall, NC15 mi
- Germanton, NC15 mi
- Ararat, VA15 mi
- Pfafftown, NC16 mi
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