Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Zebulon, NC

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clayton Wtp, NC, 17 miles southwest of Zebulon at 300 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 30°F. July is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 52.2 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (29.2 of 52.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 67 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (27); a normal September there has highs of 82°F and 5.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 52.2 inches is more than at 89 of the 140 North Carolina stations used on this site (64%). Middlesex, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Wilson 3 SW, NC): 50.4 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 177 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Zebulon: 157 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $234.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on July 23, 2020. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 472 North Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 166 have had fewer than Zebulon.

Flood insurance policyholders in Zebulon's ZIP code 27597 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $295,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 68% 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, 72 have fewer than Zebulon.