NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sylva, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sylva, North Carolina since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 14
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Sylva
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sylva; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Sylva begins with an unnamed storm in 1901; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 33 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 96% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sylva. The highest rating among the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 28, 1976, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on April 3, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 14, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sylva. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1989, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 475 North Carolina cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sylva.
Compare Sylva's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sylva
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sylva: 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 Sylva
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s4
- 1970s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 21 mi | 24.1 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Jun 28, 1976 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 12 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 9 mi | 9.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 2013 | EF1 | 24 mi | 1.88 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 29, 1976 | F1 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 16 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 18, 1976 | F1 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF0 | 13 mi | 1.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sylva
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Sylva since 1989, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 19, 2006. The most recent report is from May 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sylva
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cullowhee, NC, 5 miles southeast of Sylva at 2,192 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 26°F. June and December are the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 54.1 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 54.1 inches is more than at 102 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (73%). Whittier, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Cherokee, NC): 56.6 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 26 | 4.9 | 8 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 53 | 28 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 61 | 34 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 51 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 60 | 33 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 29 | 5.1 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 54.1 | 95 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cullowhee, NC (2,192 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 Sylva
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 102 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sylva: 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 6 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on March 17, 2002. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 147 have had fewer than Sylva.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sylva — $10.0 million damage.
October 25, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Sylva — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and power lines were blown down across the county as a squall line raced across the higher terrain of North Carolina. A small plane tied down at the Jackson County airport was flipped and heavily damaged.”
May 29, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Sylva — $100,000 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 Sylva's ZIP code 28779 have filed 38 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $331,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 32% 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, 106 have fewer than Sylva.
Jackson County, which includes Sylva, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 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 Jackson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $28.7 million a year, the 43rd highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.2 million (53%), 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.