NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Winston Salem, NC
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Winston Salem, North Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Winston Salem
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 63 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 36 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 Winston Salem: 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 Winston Salem
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s10(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s3
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2010 | EF3 | 14 mi | 4.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF3 | 7 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1998 | F3 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 5, 1989 | F3 | in town | 10.5 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 22, 1985 | F3 | in town | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 16, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 12.51 mi | 2 / 15 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 14 mi | 3.85 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 16 mi | 16.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 5.94 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 3.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 4 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Winston Salem while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.