NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saluda, 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
14 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Saluda, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 34 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 34
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Saluda
None of the 14 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Saluda; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Saluda begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 71 miles away. The 1900s and the 1910s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 14 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Saluda. The strongest of the 34 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 27, 1973; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 34, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. October has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saluda. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 109 times since 1963, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Saluda has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saluda
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 50 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 Saluda: 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 Saluda
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s8
- 2000s2
- 1990s6
- 1980s1
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 25, 2020 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.97 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 45.4 mi | 0 / 13 |
| May 27, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2019 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 6 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 7 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2005 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F1 | 11 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F1 | 23 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 28, 1990 | F1 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 34, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saluda
The Storm Prediction Center has 109 hail reports within 10 miles of Saluda since 1963, made on 79 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 23, 1963. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. June has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saluda
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tryon, NC, 6 miles southeast of Saluda at 1,320 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 32°F. August is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 4.5 inches; the year adds up to 64.4 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (32.5 of 64.4 inches). September has brought the most of the 14 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 5.6 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 51 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 64.4 inches is more than at 131 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (94%). Flat Rock, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Hendersonville 1 NE, NC): 59.3 inches a year, 5.1 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 32 | 5.3 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 54 | 34 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 70 | 49 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 65 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 69 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 67 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 62 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 51 | 4.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 41 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 35 | 6.0 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Year | 69 | 50 | 64.4 | 87 | 4.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tryon, NC (1,320 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 Saluda
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 170 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saluda: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 flash floods, 21 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $16.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 13, 2001. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 392 have had fewer than Saluda.
May 28, 2018: heavy rain event 3 miles from the centre of Saluda — 2 killed.
NWS: “EM reported two broadcast journalists were killed when a tree fell on their vehicle as they were driving on Highway 176. The tree fell due to saturated ground from the more than one foot of rain that fell over western Polk County during the latter half of May.”
September 27, 2024: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Saluda — 1 killed, $15.0 million damage.
NWS: “5 inches of that falling in less than three hours on the morning of the 27th as tropical rainbands near the remnant center of Helene swept across the area. Dozens of structures were damaged or destroyed along Green River Cove Rd and along Highway 176 due to flooding along the North Pacolet.”
August 10, 2001: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Saluda — 2 injured, $25,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Saluda's ZIP code 28773 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2004, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 14 claims (67% of all) and $1.3 million. 71% 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, 67 have fewer than Saluda.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 14 | $1.3 million |
Polk County, which includes Saluda, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 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 Polk County a Very 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 $8.0 million a year, the 93rd highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (52%), 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 Saluda
- Flat Rock, NC5 mi
- East Flat Rock, NC5 mi
- Tryon, NC7 mi
- Zirconia, NC8 mi
- Landrum, SC9 mi
- Columbus, NC9 mi
- Hendersonville, NC9 mi
- Mill Spring, NC11 mi
- Campobello, SC15 mi
- Etowah, NC15 mi
- Fletcher, NC16 mi
- Travelers Rest, SC16 mi
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