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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ronda, 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 Ronda, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 45 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
16

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
45

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Ronda

None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ronda; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1893, a tropical storm with 72 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near Ronda begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 20 miles away. 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 Ronda. The highest rating among the 45 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 26, 2022, came within 13 miles. Of the 45, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on September 26, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ronda. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ronda.

Compare Ronda's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ronda

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Ronda, North Carolina, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020ZetaOct 2920 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 3
2018MichaelOct 1167 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 5
1989HugoSep 2243 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 5
1985BobJul 2541 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 1
1979DavidSep 545 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 5
1959GracieSep 3038 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 4
1952AbleAug 3141 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 287 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 331 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 1
1907Unnamed 1907 stormSep 2340 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1902Unnamed 1902 stormOct 115 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 2847 miTropical storm (72 mph)Category 3
1886Unnamed 1886 stormJun 2252 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 1156 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1878Unnamed 1878 stormSep 1261 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 2
1859Unnamed 1859 stormSep 1763 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ronda: 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 Ronda

By decade

  • 2020s10
  • 2010s8
  • 2000s6
  • 1990s7
  • 1980s2
  • 1970s7
  • 1960s3
  • 1950s2
Strongest tornadoes near Ronda, North Carolina
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 26, 2022EF213 mi5.97 mi0 / 1
May 24, 2017EF221 mi5.94 mi0 / 1
May 8, 2009EF223 mi4.92 mi0 / 6
Jul 7, 2005F216 mi3.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 26, 2024EF16 mi0.4 mi0 / 0
Apr 11, 2024EF112 mi6 mi0 / 0
May 26, 2022EF120 mi2.8 mi0 / 0
May 26, 2022EF19 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Mar 23, 2022EF121 mi6.17 mi0 / 0
Aug 17, 2021EF124 mi5.09 mi0 / 0
Oct 23, 2017EF111 mi8.6 mi0 / 1
Oct 23, 2017EF120 mi8.17 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 45, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Ronda

The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Ronda since 1985, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 26, 2023. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 28.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Ronda

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is N Wilkesboro, NC, 13 miles west of Ronda at 1,120 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 27°F. August is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.8 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 51.8 inches). September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.8 inches is more than at 86 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (61%). Jonesville, 6 miles east, has its own station (Yadkinville 6 E, NC): 46.7 inches a year, 5.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at N Wilkesboro, NC
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan48274.472.0
Feb52293.371.4
Mar60364.480.3
Apr70444.770.0
May77534.580.0
Jun84624.980.0
Jul87664.580.0
Aug85655.180.0
Sep79584.370.0
Oct71463.850.0
Nov60353.560.0
Dec51304.471.9
Year694651.8845.6

Averages for 1991–2020 at N Wilkesboro, NC (1,120 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.

North Carolina weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Ronda

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 231 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ronda: 194 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 11 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on August 15, 2023. October has had the most flash floods, 4 of 16. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Ronda.

  • August 10, 2021: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Ronda — 3 injured, $15,000 damage.

  • May 19, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Ronda — 2 injured, $75,000 damage.

  • April 28, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Ronda — 1 injured, $250,000 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 Ronda, 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 Ronda