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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shannon, 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

76 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Shannon, North Carolina since 1851, 9 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Chantal in 2025. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
9

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
67

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
77

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
9

39 deaths in all

What the records show for Shannon

The strongest storm to pass near Shannon was Hazel in 1954, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1899, whose centre came within 14 miles. The record near Shannon begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Chantal in 2025, a tropical storm 66 miles away. The 1880s and the 1890s were the busiest decades, with 7 systems each. Of the 76 systems, 17 have come since 2000. Shannon has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 67% of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 28, 1984, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 28, 1984, killed 12 people. Of the 77, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2024. Shannon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1984, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Shannon.

Compare Shannon's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shannon

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Shannon, North Carolina, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2025ChantalJul 666 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
2024DebbyAug 863 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
2022IanOct 120 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 5
2021ElsaJul 826 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 1
2021ClaudetteJun 219 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2020IsaiasAug 453 miCategory 1 (77 mph)Category 1
2019NestorOct 2012 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2018MichaelOct 1168 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 5
2018FlorenceSep 1468 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 4
2016HermineSep 365 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 1
2015AnaMay 1068 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
2013AndreaJun 79 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2008HannaSep 641 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
2006ErnestoSep 168 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 1
2006AlbertoJun 143 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
2004CharleyAug 1461 miTropical storm (70 mph)Category 4
2000HeleneSep 2374 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1998EarlSep 422 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1996JosephineOct 850 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1996FranSep 632 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 3
1995AllisonJun 650 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 1
1985KateNov 2272 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 3
1984DianaSep 1439 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
1972Unnamed 1972 stormJul 1268 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1972AgnesJun 2130 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 1
1971GingerOct 169 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1970AlmaMay 2621 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 1
1965Unnamed 1965 stormJun 168 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1964DoraSep 1372 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 4
1960BrendaJul 2971 miTropical storm (64 mph)Tropical storm
1956FlossySep 2643 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1955DianeAug 1744 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 2
1954HazelOct 1537 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 4
1952Unnamed 1952 stormAug 2837 miTropical storm (45 mph)Tropical storm
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 2425 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1946Unnamed 1946 stormJul 671 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1945Unnamed 1945 stormSep 1829 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 4
1944Unnamed 1944 stormOct 2017 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 4
1944Unnamed 1944 stormAug 252 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
1935Unnamed 1935 stormSep 621 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 5
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 232 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 1940 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 5
1924Unnamed 1924 stormSep 3035 miTropical storm (68 mph)Category 1
1924Unnamed 1924 stormSep 1773 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1920Unnamed 1920 stormSep 234 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormSep 656 miTropical storm (43 mph)Tropical storm
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1635 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1913Unnamed 1913 stormOct 1054 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1913Unnamed 1913 stormSep 320 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1912Unnamed 1912 stormJun 142 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1904Unnamed 1904 stormSep 146 miTropical storm (68 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 1632 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1901Unnamed 1901 stormJul 1331 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1899Unnamed 1899 stormOct 3114 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 2
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 2929 miCategory 1 (84 mph)Category 3
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 946 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1894Unnamed 1894 stormSep 2768 miTropical storm (70 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 1324 miCategory 2 (96 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 45 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 4
1893Unnamed 1893 stormJun 1656 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1889Unnamed 1889 stormSep 2459 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 2
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1032 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1886Unnamed 1886 stormJul 11 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1344 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1885Unnamed 1885 stormAug 2566 miCategory 1 (90 mph)Category 2
1883Unnamed 1883 stormSep 1145 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 3
1881Unnamed 1881 stormSep 972 miCategory 1 (87 mph)Category 2
1878Unnamed 1878 stormSep 1249 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 2
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 414 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 2939 miCategory 1 (76 mph)Category 1
1867Unnamed 1867 stormJun 233 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1859Unnamed 1859 stormSep 1771 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 1
1856Unnamed 1856 stormSep 140 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1854Unnamed 1854 stormSep 98 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 3
1852Unnamed 1852 stormOct 1044 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1851Unnamed 1851 stormAug 2520 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3

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

By decade

  • 2020s5
  • 2010s11(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s13
  • 1990s14
  • 1980s7(3 EF3+)
  • 1970s15(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s9(2 EF3+)
  • 1950s3(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Shannon, North Carolina
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Mar 28, 1984F421 mi17 mi7 / 100
Mar 28, 1984F41 mi40 mi4 / 395
Apr 8, 1957F4in town121.4 mi4 / 70
Apr 8, 1957F413 mi0.8 mi0 / 21
Mar 28, 1984F314 mi40 mi12 / 101
Apr 16, 2011EF311 mi52.86 mi2 / 176
Feb 22, 1971F320 mi85.7 mi2 / 60
Apr 18, 1969F32 mi77.3 mi0 / 3
Aug 29, 1964F318 mi21.9 mi0 / 15
May 15, 1976F211 mi10.1 mi3 / 4
Sep 29, 1963F211 mi85.8 mi3 / 12
Apr 15, 1999F212 mi0.3 mi1 / 4

The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Shannon

The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Shannon since 1984, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 20, 2024. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.

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

Weather by month in Shannon

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Raeford, NC, 11 miles northwest of Shannon at 250 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 30°F. September is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (26.9 of 48.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 76 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (31); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 5.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 54 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 82 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.8 inches is more than at 57 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (41%). Red Springs, 5 miles west, has its own station (Laurinburg Maxton Airport, NC): 40.3 inches a year, 8.5 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Raeford, NC
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan53303.771.6
Feb57313.770.8
Mar65383.960.0
Apr74473.260.0
May80563.860.0
Jun86654.780.0
Jul90694.980.0
Aug88685.180.0
Sep83615.360.0
Oct73493.350.0
Nov64383.650.0
Dec56333.660.4
Year724948.8762.8

Averages for 1991–2020 at Raeford, NC (250 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 Shannon

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shannon: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 1, 2001. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 38 have had fewer than Shannon.

  • May 29, 2016: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Shannon — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.

  • April 1, 2001: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Shannon — $300,000 damage.

  • September 6, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Shannon — $150,000 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

Robeson County, which includes Shannon, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1984, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Eta, on March 3, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Robeson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $56.9 million a year, the 22nd highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.9 million (31%), is from hurricanes.

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 Shannon