NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vale, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Vale, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Vale
The strongest storm to pass near Vale was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Vale begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 46 miles away. The 1880s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 3 systems each. Of the 19 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Vale. The highest rating among the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 7, 1998, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 5, 1989, killed 4 people. Of the 88, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Vale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Vale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 53 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 40 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 Vale: 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 Vale
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s23
- 2000s21
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 4 mi | 14 mi | 4 / 52 |
| May 7, 1998 | F4 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 14 mi | 4.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | EF2 | 8 mi | 4.15 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF2 | 19 mi | 2.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF2 | 2 mi | 2.58 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 9, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 18.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2005 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | in town | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vale
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Vale since 1955, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 3, 1998. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lincolnton 4 W, NC, 8 miles southeast of Vale at 887 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 30°F. August is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 49.6 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 49.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 82°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 35 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.6 inches is more than at 63 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (45%). Lawndale, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Shelby 2 NW, NC): 50.5 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 30 | 3.9 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 56 | 33 | 3.5 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 64 | 39 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 67 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 54 | 33 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 49.6 | 78 | 5.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lincolnton 4 W, NC (887 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 Vale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 138 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vale: 116 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 3 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 16, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 201 have had fewer than Vale.
June 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Vale — 1 killed.
May 16, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Vale — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
August 7, 2023: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Vale — 1 injured.
NWS: “Emergency manager reported a person was struck and injured by lightning in the Vale area.”
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
Lincoln County, which includes Vale, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lincoln County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.2 million a year, the 40th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.6 million (70%), 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 Vale
- Lawndale, NC10 mi
- Crouse, NC11 mi
- Connelly Springs, NC11 mi
- Cherryville, NC11 mi
- Lincolnton, NC12 mi
- Newton, NC13 mi
- Maiden, NC14 mi
- Hickory, NC14 mi
- Valdese, NC16 mi
- Conover, NC17 mi
- Iron Station, NC18 mi
- Granite Falls, NC18 mi
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