NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waxhaw, 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
42 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Waxhaw, North Carolina since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 39
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Waxhaw
The strongest storm to pass near Waxhaw was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Waxhaw begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 28 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems. Of the 42 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 50% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Waxhaw. The highest rating among the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 5, 1989, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 8, 1957, killed 4 people. Of the 71, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on March 5, 2025. Waxhaw has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 93 times since 1982, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Waxhaw has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waxhaw
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 21 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | overhead | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormAug 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 10 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 56 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 2 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Waxhaw: 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 Waxhaw
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s11
- 2000s7
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s15
- 1960s7
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1957 | F4 | 22 mi | 121.4 mi | 4 / 70 |
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 4 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F4 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 36 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 20 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F3 | 5 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 16, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.8 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Mar 3, 2012 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.94 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 7, 2004 | F2 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Mar 6, 1983 | F2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 18, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | F2 | 21 mi | 30.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waxhaw
The Storm Prediction Center has 93 hail reports within 10 miles of Waxhaw since 1982, made on 66 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 23, 2014. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waxhaw
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monroe Airport, NC, 9 miles northeast of Waxhaw at 679 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 32°F. August is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 38.0 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (20.2 of 38.0 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 42 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (15); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 3.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 58 nights a year. That 38.0 inches is more than at 0 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (0%). Indian Land, SC, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Winthrop Univ, SC): 42.6 inches a year, 4.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 32 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 64 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 2.9 | 5 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 55 | 34 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 38.0 | 65 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monroe Airport, NC (679 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 Waxhaw
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 146 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waxhaw: 120 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 4 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 3, 2022. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 16. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 231 have had fewer than Waxhaw.
June 27, 2026: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Waxhaw — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “County comms reported numerous trees and power lines blown down across southern Union County. One tree fell on a house southeast of Monroe, injuring an occupant.”
July 19, 1998: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Waxhaw — $600,000 damage.
July 21, 2009: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Waxhaw — $200,000 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
Union County, which includes Waxhaw, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Union County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $110.3 million a year, the 9th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $73.2 million (66%), 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 Waxhaw
- Indian Land, SC8 mi
- Monroe, NC11 mi
- Matthews, NC12 mi
- Catawba, SC12 mi
- Indian Trail, NC14 mi
- Lancaster, SC14 mi
- Pineville, NC14 mi
- Fort Mill, SC14 mi
- Wingate, NC17 mi
- Edgemoor, SC17 mi
- Rock Hill, SC17 mi
- Fort Lawn, SC18 mi
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