Bladen County, North Carolina
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 37017 · population 29,597 · 875 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 628 records for Bladen County, North Carolina from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 347 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (284 records). The deadliest day on its record was October 8, 2016: flash flood and tropical storm records filed for Bladen County that day count 4 deaths across 2 records. FEMA has issued 27 declarations naming the county since 1977, 25 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 628on 347 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 1022 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $199Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 27strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 27latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Bladen County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 284 since 1964. 44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1964 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among North Carolina's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 284 | 167 | 1964-2026 | 0 | 7 | $3.4M | 76 of 100 |
| Hail | 166 | 106 | 1978-2025 | 0 | 0 | $63K | 59 of 100 |
| Floods | 58 | 25 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 0 | $24M | 95 of 100 |
| Tornadoes | 27 | 22 | 1960-2024 | 5 | 8 | $79M | 52 of 100 |
| Winter storms | 26 | 26 | 2000-2026 | 0 | 0 | $5.5M | 97 of 100 |
| High wind and dust storms | 21 | 13 | 1996-2024 | 1 | 0 | $86M | 81 of 100 |
| Lightning | 13 | 13 | 1996-2023 | 0 | 1 | $686K | 41 of 100 |
| Drought | 10 | 10 | 2001-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 56 of 100 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 5 | 5 | 2004-2022 | 2 | 3 | $156K | 72 of 100 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 5 | 4 | 2007-2011 | 0 | 3 | – | 32 of 100 |
| Heat | 4 | 4 | 2011-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 61 of 100 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 4 | 2003-2013 | 0 | 0 | $16K | 78 of 100 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 3 | 2007-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 78 of 100 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 0 | $656K | 12 of 100 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Bladen County had?
NOAA records 27 tornadoes in Bladen County from 1960 to 2024, the strongest rated F3, with 5 deaths and 8 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 29 tornadoes whose track touched Bladen County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 27: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 17 people, 5 of them in Bladen County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-28 18:45, as SPC files it | Salemburg | F3 | 40 mi | 12 |
| 2011-04-16 14:25, as SPC files it | Clinton | EF2 | 29.88 mi | 3 |
| 2011-04-16 14:58, as SPC files it | Bladenboro to Elizabethtown | EF2 | 13.13 mi | 1 |
| 1995-01-06 22:15, as SPC files it | White Lake | F0 | 2 mi | 1 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in North Carolina.
Every tornado record filed for Bladen County (27)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Ammon, Bladen County | EF1 4.8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-09-27 | White Lake, Bladen County | EF0 4.99 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-14 | Clarkton, Bladen County | EF0 2.35 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2021-06-02 | Abbottsburg, Bladen County | EF0 0.25 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-09-05 | East Arcadia, Bladen County | EF0 4.87 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2018-09-16 | Tobemory, Bladen County | EF0 0.14 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-10-01 | Council, Bladen County | EF0 2.87 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2012-10-01 | Council, Bladen County | EF0 0.14 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2011-04-16 | Bladenboro Airport, Bladen County | EF2 13.13 mi x 440 yd | 1 | 0 | $4.1M |
| 2011-04-16 | Live Oak, Bladen County | EF2 1.5 mi x 200 yd | 3 | 0 | $1.3M |
| 2009-04-06 | Portersville, Bladen County | EF2 1.37 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $413K |
| 2009-03-28 | White Lake, Bladen County | EF0 0.08 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2009-03-28 | Abbottsburg, Bladen County | EF2 1.6 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $275K |
| 2003-07-02 | Clarkton, Bladen County | F1 0.8 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 1999-04-15 | Tar Heel, Bladen County | F2 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 5 | $354K |
| 1998-06-13 | Kelly, Bladen County | F1 2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $45K |
| 1998-06-13 | Kelly, Bladen County | F1 0.3 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-10-26 | Kelly, Bladen County | F1 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $460K |
| 1996-12-07 | Dublin, Bladen County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 1996-11-08 | White Lake, Bladen County | F0 0.1 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-05-11 | Bladenboro, Bladen County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-01-07 | Bladen County | 1 | 3 | $194K | |
| 1990-07-01 | Bladen County | F2 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1984-03-28 | Bladen County | F3 4 mi x 1,407 yd | 0 | 0 | $25M step |
| 1979-08-21 | Bladen County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1966-03-04 | Bladen County | F1 0.3 mi x 7 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1960-09-11 | Bladen County | F1 15.4 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Bladen County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 11, 2025 flash flood ($3,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindEast Arcadia, Bladen County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-01 | Winter StormBladen County · forecast zone Bladen | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-30 | Winter StormBladen County · forecast zone Bladen | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-11 | Flash FloodEast Arcadia, Bladen County | 0 | 0 | $3K | |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindElkton, Bladen County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindClarkton, Bladen County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindElizabethtown Airport, Bladen County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindElizabethtown, Bladen County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindElizabethtown, Bladen County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-25 | HailAbbottsburg, Bladen County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-25 | HailAbbottsburg, Bladen County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-04 | HailDublin, Bladen County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-16 | TornadoLive Oak, Bladen County A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team found evidence of a strong tornado in northern Bladen County, near Ammon, North Carolina. The damage was rated up to an EF2. The maximum wind speed was estimated up to 130 mph. The path length was one and a half miles in Bladen County. However, the tornado remained on the ... | EF2 1.5 mi x 200 yd | 3 | 0 | $1.3M |
| 2016-10-08 | Flash FloodLisbon, Bladen County A vehicle with three occupants was swept away in a road washout on Rosindale Road between Coley Road and Old Tram Road. Two of the occupants died in the flood waters. A portion of Rosindale Road was closed due to flooding. A few nearby structures were impacted by the flood waters. | 2 | 0 | $92K | |
| 2016-10-08 | Tropical StormBladen County · forecast zone Bladen Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and strong winds. Rainfall amounts in Bladen County were prodigious. Many areas had over a foot of rain, with 18.38 inches recorded northwest of Elizabethtown. Turnbull Creek measured a maximum wind of 39 mph. Tropical storm force winds and ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1995-01-07 | TornadoBladen County Touched down Elizabethtown 5NE, tracked NE on ground three minutes. | 1 | 3 | $194K | |
| 2011-04-16 | TornadoBladenboro Airport, Bladen County A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team found evidence of a strong tornado in Bladen County, North Carolina. The damage was rated up to an EF2. The maximum wind speed was estimated up to 120 mph. The path length was just over 13 miles. The maximum path width was 440 yards. The tornado first touched down at 458 pm ... | EF2 13.13 mi x 440 yd | 1 | 0 | $4.1M |
| 1996-09-05 | High WindBladen County · forecast zone Bladen Following nearly 8 inches of rain fallen in 12 hours,the decaying eye of Hurricane Fran skirted eastern Bladen County thursday evening with winds gusting 80 mph. Forty homes were destroyed, 467 damaged. Bladenboro business district was 4 ft deep in rainwater flooding. There was one death, a heart attack during peak of ... | 1 | 0 | $75M | |
| 1999-04-15 | TornadoTar Heel, Bladen County | F2 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 5 | $354K |
| 2008-01-07 | Dense SmokeBladen County · forecast zone Bladen Dense smoke and fog caused several motor vehicle accidents near Longwood on NC 904. There were at total of six accidents, with three injuries. The road had to be closed. | 0 | 3 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-09-05 | High WindBladen County · forecast zone Bladen | 1 | 0 | $75M | |
| 1999-09-15 | Flash FloodKelly, Bladen County | 0 | 0 | $18M | |
| 1998-08-26 | High WindBladen County · forecast zone Bladen | 0 | 0 | $7.7M | |
| 2011-04-16 | TornadoBladenboro Airport, Bladen County | EF2 13.13 mi x 440 yd | 1 | 0 | $4.1M |
| 2004-01-26 | Ice StormBladen County · forecast zone Bladen | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 1996-07-12 | High WindBladen County · forecast zone Bladen | 0 | 0 | $2.4M | |
| 2004-01-25 | Ice StormBladen County · forecast zone Bladen | 0 | 0 | $1.6M | |
| 2016-10-08 | Flash FloodWhite Lake, Bladen County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: March 28, 1984 (tornado, Bladen County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Bladen County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 37 | 78 | 110 | 36 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 76 | 41 | 12 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 5 | 3 | 42 | 8 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 1 | 12 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1964 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 40 · Feb 23 · Mar 35 · Apr 78 · May 101 · Jun 114 · Jul 84 · Aug 65 · Sep 40 · Oct 33 · Nov 5 · Dec 10 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Bladen County
FEMA's register lists 27 declarations that include Bladen County: 13 major disasters, 13 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for hurricane (19) and tropical storm (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3637 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3617 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Helene |
| 2024-08-06 | EM-3608 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Debby |
| 2022-10-01 | EM-3586 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ian |
| 2020-08-02 | EM-3534 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaias |
| 2020-03-25 | DR-4487 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3471 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-10-04 | DR-4465 | Hurricane | Hurricane Dorian |
| 2019-09-03 | EM-3423 | Hurricane | Hurricane Dorian |
| 2018-09-14 | DR-4393 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2018-09-10 | EM-3401 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2016-10-10 | DR-4285 | Hurricane | Hurricane Matthew |
| 2016-10-07 | EM-3380 | Hurricane | Hurricane Matthew |
| 2011-08-31 | DR-4019 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-07-04 | FM-2936 | Fire | Simmons Road Fire |
| 2011-04-19 | DR-1969 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2005-09-14 | EM-3254 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ophelia |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3222 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-09-10 | DR-1546 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Frances |
| 2003-09-18 | DR-1490 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isabel |
| 1999-09-16 | DR-1292 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1999-09-15 | EM-3146 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations |
| 1998-08-27 | DR-1240 | Hurricane | Hurricane Bonnie |
| 1996-09-06 | DR-1134 | Hurricane | Hurricane Fran |
| 1996-07-18 | DR-1127 | Hurricane | Hurricane Bertha |
| 1984-09-21 | DR-724 | Hurricane | Hurricane Diana |
| 1977-08-11 | EM-3049 | Drought | Drought |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Bladen County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 58 flood or flash flood records for Bladen County from 1996 to 2025, on 25 days, with 2 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bladen County ranks 949th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Matthew | 2016-10-08 | 9 | 4 |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999-09-15 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $9.2 million on 195 claims filed in Bladen County; the most in one year was 95 in 2018. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1984: 1 · 1988: 1 · 1991: 1 · 1992: 1 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 10 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 1 · 1999: 20 · 2001: 1 · 2003: 4 · 2005: 1 · 2010: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2016: 37 · 2018: 95 · 2020: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 13; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Bladen County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bladen County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $38.6 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $2.7M | 2.4 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | $22M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $2.6M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $132K | 2.4 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $173K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $253K | 55 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $487K | once in about 523 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $575K | once in about 540 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Bladen County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in North CarolinaEvery North Carolina tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in North CarolinaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The North Carolina recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Bladen CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Bladen County's FEMA declarations (CSV)27 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis