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.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
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, 62 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 62
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Winston Salem
The strongest storm to pass near Winston Salem was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Winston Salem begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 45 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems. Of the 22 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 475 North Carolina cities on this site, 65% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Winston Salem. The highest rating among the 62 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 28, 2010, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on November 16, 2011, killed 2 people. Of the 62, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2022. Winston Salem has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 475 North Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 93 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Winston Salem has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 475 North Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Winston Salem
Of the 22 tracks on the map, 17 were moving northeast as they passed Winston Salem, 5 north. The unnamed 1896 storm, the strongest pass, was heading north; its centre passed 63 miles east of Winston Salem. None made landfall within 75 miles of Winston Salem; 18 of the 22 were hurricanes at their peak, 1 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 2 came near Winston Salem: 0.7 a decade, against 1.4 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| 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.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Winston Salem
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s3
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2010 | EF3 | 14 mi | 3.46 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 | 0.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 4 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 62, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Winston Salem
The Storm Prediction Center has 93 hail reports within 10 miles of Winston Salem since 1970, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 14, 1984. The most recent report is from June 26, 2023. June has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Winston Salem
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winston Salem Rynlds Airport, NC, 4 miles northeast of Winston Salem at 970 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 31°F. August is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 43.3 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (22.6 of 43.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 22 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 64 nights a year. That 43.3 inches is more than at 5 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (4%). Clemmons, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Yadkinville 6 E, NC): 46.7 inches a year, 3.4 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 31 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 78 | 57 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 88 | 69 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 68 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 80 | 61 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 71 | 49 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 60 | 39 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 52 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Year | 69 | 50 | 43.3 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Winston Salem Rynlds Airport, NC (970 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 Winston Salem
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 319 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Winston Salem: 276 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 flash floods, 2 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 25, 2000. August has had the most flash floods, 12 of 39. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 421 have had fewer than Winston Salem.
March 5, 1997: thunderstorm wind in Winston Salem — 1 killed, 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
May 3, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Winston Salem — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
June 13, 2013: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Winston Salem — $500,000 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 Winston Salem's 7 ZIP codes have filed 372 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $4.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Michael in 2018: 22 claims (6% of all) and $608,000, then Hurricane Eta in 2020 with 15. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 38. 14% 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, 216 have fewer than Winston Salem.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Michael2018 | 22 | $608,000 |
| Hurricane Eta2020 | 15 | $268,000 |
Forsyth County, which includes Winston Salem, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 4 snowstorms, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Forsyth County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $104.1 million a year, the 10th highest of 100 North Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $71.9 million (69%), 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 Winston Salem
- Walkertown, NC8 mi
- Pfafftown, NC9 mi
- Clemmons, NC9 mi
- Lewisville, NC9 mi
- Kernersville, NC10 mi
- Rural Hall, NC10 mi
- Tobaccoville, NC12 mi
- Advance, NC14 mi
- Colfax, NC14 mi
- Germanton, NC14 mi
- Belews Creek, NC14 mi
- King, NC15 mi
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