Columbus County, North Carolina

What hazards hit Columbus County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 273 since 1961. 44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1961 fell in May and June. 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.

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 Columbus County had?

NOAA records 34 tornadoes in Columbus County from 1950 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 8 deaths and 40 injuries recorded in the county. That is 41st of 100 North Carolina counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 33 tornadoes whose track touched Columbus County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 34: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 8 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in North Carolina.

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 Columbus County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 9, 2026 tornado ($50,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

Damage began near 356 Delco School Road, where several trees were snapped and power lines were downed. A short distance away at McPherson`s Acme General Store (1355 Old Stage Road), a metal awning was torn from the structure and destroyed, damaging a nearby 500-gallon propane tank and causing a fuel leak. The tornado continued east-northeast approximately 1.3 miles with only intermittent damage before intensifying near the 1225 block of Fertilizer Road. There, three structures sustained significant roof damage, including two single-family residences, and a large oak tree was uprooted. The tornado then rapidly dissipated with no further damage noted.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1325500)

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

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 Columbus 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).

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 1961 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Columbus County

FEMA's register lists 29 declarations that include Columbus County: 13 major disasters, 16 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (22) and tropical storm (2).

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 Columbus County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 59 flood or flash flood records for Columbus County from 1996 to 2025, on 36 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Columbus County ranks 411th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $25.0 million on 712 claims filed in Columbus County; the most in one year was 307 in 2018. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Columbus County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Columbus County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $42.1 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Columbus County

1. Horry County, SC 1,170
2. Robeson County 722
3. Brunswick County 641
4. Columbus County 630
5. Bladen County 628
6. Pender County 548
7. Dillon County, SC 316

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 Columbus CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Columbus County's FEMA declarations (CSV)29 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis