NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Swannanoa, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Swannanoa, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 17
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Swannanoa
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Swannanoa; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Swannanoa begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 15 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Swannanoa. The strongest of the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on May 7, 1998; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 17, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Swannanoa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 99 times since 1982, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Swannanoa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Swannanoa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 73 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 Swannanoa: 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 Swannanoa
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s1
- 1990s4
- 1970s8
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1999 | F1 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1977 | F1 | 16 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 13 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 13 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F1 | 7 mi | 28.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 11 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 17, 1975 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 1956 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Swannanoa
The Storm Prediction Center has 99 hail reports within 10 miles of Swannanoa since 1982, made on 67 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 10 days, most recently May 8, 2025. The most recent report is from September 4, 2025. May has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Swannanoa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Swannanoa 2 SSE, NC, 2 miles southeast of Swannanoa at 4,320 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 76°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 25°F. September is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 53.0 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (27.0 of 53.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 70°F and 5.2 inches of precipitation. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 102 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.0 inches is more than at 95 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (68%). Asheville, 9 miles west, has its own station (Asheville, NC): 40.7 inches a year, 12.3 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 76°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 25 | 4.6 | 7 | 6.8 |
| Feb | 44 | 27 | 3.7 | 7 | 5.8 |
| Mar | 52 | 33 | 4.7 | 8 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 62 | 42 | 4.6 | 8 | 2.5 |
| May | 69 | 50 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 73 | 57 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 76 | 61 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 75 | 60 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 54 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 44 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 52 | 34 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 | 5.2 |
| Year | 60 | 43 | 53.0 | 87 | 28.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Swannanoa 2 SSE, NC (4,320 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 Swannanoa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Swannanoa: 73 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 7 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 17 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $304.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 3, 2009. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 299 have had fewer than Swannanoa.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Swannanoa — 15 killed, $300.0 million damage.
June 17, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Swannanoa — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
June 8, 2009: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Swannanoa — 1 killed.
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 Swannanoa's ZIP code 28778 have filed 104 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2004, and were paid $13.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 68 claims (65% of all) and $12.6 million. 77% 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, 182 have fewer than Swannanoa.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 68 | $12.6 million |
Buncombe County, which includes Swannanoa, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Buncombe County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $82.4 million a year, the 14th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $48.1 million (58%), 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 Swannanoa
- Black Mountain, NC5 mi
- Fairview, NC5 mi
- Asheville, NC9 mi
- Barnardsville, NC11 mi
- Weaverville, NC11 mi
- Fletcher, NC12 mi
- Arden, NC12 mi
- Old Fort, NC13 mi
- Alexander, NC15 mi
- Lake Lure, NC16 mi
- Mills River, NC17 mi
- Candler, NC18 mi
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