Cherokee County, North Carolina
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 37039 · population 28,732 · 456 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 319 records for Cherokee County, North Carolina from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 232 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (168 records). The deadliest single record is the April 3, 1974 tornado: 4 deaths and 26 injuries. FEMA has issued 16 declarations naming the county since 1974, 14 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
- 319on 232 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 426 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $158Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 10strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 16latest 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 Cherokee County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 168 since 1965. 55% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1965 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 | 168 | 139 | 1965-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | 47 of 100 |
| Hail | 57 | 45 | 1981-2025 | 0 | 0 | $16K | 76 of 100 |
| Winter storms | 47 | 32 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2K | 82 of 100 |
| Floods | 20 | 17 | 1996-2022 | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | 91 of 100 |
| High wind and dust storms | 13 | 13 | 2000-2023 | 0 | 0 | $142K | 63 of 100 |
| Tornadoes | 10 | 9 | 1974-2024 | 4 | 26 | $153M | 69 of 100 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2022-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 89 of 100 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 1 | 1 | 2004-2004 | 0 | 0 | $23K | 93 of 100 |
| Landslides and avalanches | 1 | 1 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 19 of 100 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2025-2025 | 0 | 0 | $10K | 86 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 Cherokee County had?
NOAA records 10 tornadoes in Cherokee County from 1974 to 2024, the strongest rated F4, with 4 deaths and 26 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 10 tornadoes whose track touched Cherokee County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 10, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 4 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 19:20, as SPC files it | MurphyCrossed GA, NC | F4 | 24 mi | 4 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in North Carolina.
Every tornado record filed for Cherokee County (10)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-08 | Peachtree, Cherokee County | EF1 2.33 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-03-17 | Peachtree, Cherokee County | EF0 0.63 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-03-02 | Postell, Cherokee County | EF2 21.5 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 1998-05-07 | Wolf Creek, Cherokee County | F1 9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $272K |
| 1991-04-16 | Cherokee County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1979-09-21 | Cherokee County | F0 0.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-04-04 | Cherokee County | F0 9.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-04-03 | Cherokee County | F4 18.9 mi x 33 yd | 4 | 26 | $25M step |
| 1974-04-03 | Cherokee County | F1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1974-04-02 | Cherokee County | F1 16.8 mi x 33 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 Cherokee County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 20, 2025 lightning ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindPeachtree, Cherokee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-14 | Thunderstorm WindBoiling Spgs, Cherokee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindMurphy, Cherokee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-30 | Heavy SnowCherokee County · forecast zone Cherokee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-10 | Winter WeatherCherokee County · forecast zone Cherokee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindMission, Cherokee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-20 | Thunderstorm WindBates Creek, Cherokee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-20 | LightningWehutty, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-05-08 | HailMarble, Cherokee County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-02 | Thunderstorm WindMurphy, Cherokee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-19 | Winter WeatherCherokee County · forecast zone Cherokee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-10 | Winter StormCherokee County · forecast zone Cherokee | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | TornadoCherokee County | F4 18.9 mi x 33 yd | 4 | 26 | $25M 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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-06 | Flash FloodCountywide, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | $2.7M | |
| 2012-03-02 | TornadoPostell, Cherokee County | EF2 21.5 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 2022-07-21 | Flash FloodMarble, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 1998-05-07 | TornadoWolf Creek, Cherokee County | F1 9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $272K |
| 2006-07-04 | Thunderstorm WindMurphy, Cherokee County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $37K |
| 2003-11-18 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Cherokee County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $32K |
| 2005-06-06 | Thunderstorm WindMurphy, Cherokee County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $23K |
| 2025-05-20 | LightningWehutty, Cherokee County | 0 | 0 | $10K |
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: April 3, 1974 (tornado, Cherokee County, 4 killed).
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 Cherokee 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 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 67 | 44 | 24 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 5 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 12 | 23 | 8 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
55% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1965 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 27 · Feb 20 · Mar 25 · Apr 27 · May 47 · Jun 60 · Jul 50 · Aug 21 · Sep 8 · Oct 4 · Nov 8 · Dec 22 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Cherokee County
FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Cherokee County: 7 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (5) and snowstorm (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3637 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2024-09-28 | DR-4827 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Helene |
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3617 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Helene |
| 2022-10-01 | EM-3586 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ian |
| 2020-08-02 | EM-3534 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaias |
| 2020-05-08 | DR-4543 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2020-03-25 | DR-4487 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3471 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-09-03 | EM-3423 | Hurricane | Hurricane Dorian |
| 2018-09-10 | EM-3401 | Hurricane | Hurricane Florence |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3222 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1996-02-23 | DR-1103 | Snowstorm | Winter Storm |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1087 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1995-10-23 | DR-1073 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, High Winds |
| 1993-03-17 | EM-3110 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm |
| 1974-04-12 | DR-428 | Tornado | Tornadoes |
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 Cherokee County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Cherokee County from 1996 to 2022, on 17 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Cherokee County ranks 1612th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $979,000 on 56 claims filed in Cherokee County; the most in one year was 14 in 2015. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1980: 1 · 1982: 1 · 1990: 6 · 1991: 1 · 1994: 5 · 1995: 8 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 1 · 2003: 2 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2015: 14 · 2018: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2025: 6; 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 Cherokee County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cherokee County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $15.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $230K | 2 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $1.8M | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $136K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $286K | 60 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $349K | once in about 345 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $809K | once in about 236 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $9.4M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.1M | 1.2 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Cherokee 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 Cherokee CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Cherokee County's FEMA declarations (CSV)16 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis