NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sandy Ridge, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sandy Ridge, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 40 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 40
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Sandy Ridge
The strongest storm to pass near Sandy Ridge was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 78 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Sandy Ridge begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 26 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 4 systems. Of the 17 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Sandy Ridge. The highest rating among the 40 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1998, came within 9 miles. Of the 40, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on September 27, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sandy Ridge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1958, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sandy Ridge.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sandy Ridge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 57 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sandy Ridge: 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 Sandy Ridge
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s9
- 2000s6
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1998 | F3 | 9 mi | 12 mi | 2 / 27 |
| May 5, 1989 | F3 | 19 mi | 10.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 11 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 18 mi | 8.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 17, 1994 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 6, 1981 | F2 | 22 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1964 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 19 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 21, 2013 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 40, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sandy Ridge
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Sandy Ridge since 1958, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 8 days, most recently April 6, 2023. The most recent report is from April 6, 2023. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sandy Ridge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Danbury, NC, 6 miles southwest of Sandy Ridge at 1,019 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 29°F. September is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (24.5 of 47.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 5.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.6 inches is more than at 38 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (27%). Stoneville, 10 miles east, has its own station (Eden, NC): 47.1 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 29 | 3.8 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 52 | 30 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 59 | 36 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 59 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 36 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 31 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 47.6 | 77 | 8.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Danbury, NC (1,019 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 Sandy Ridge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 234 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sandy Ridge: 198 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 15 floods, 5 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 5, 2010. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 216 have had fewer than Sandy Ridge.
October 11, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Sandy Ridge — $2.0 million damage.
June 16, 2017: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sandy Ridge — $450,000 damage.
September 17, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Sandy Ridge — $431,000 damage.
NWS: “Henry County was part of Presidential Major Disaster declaration with significant damage to roads and other structures. There were nearly a dozen calls to the county 911 for flooding, including several road washouts and motorists trapped in a flooded vehicle.”
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
Stokes County, which includes Sandy Ridge, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight, on October 19, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stokes County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.9 million a year, the 78th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (68%), 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 Sandy Ridge
- Mayodan, NC8 mi
- Madison, NC10 mi
- Stoneville, NC10 mi
- Patrick Springs, VA13 mi
- Walnut Cove, NC13 mi
- Stuart, VA14 mi
- Westfield, NC14 mi
- Ridgeway, VA14 mi
- Germanton, NC15 mi
- Fieldale, VA17 mi
- Belews Creek, NC17 mi
- Stokesdale, NC18 mi
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