PlainHazard

Pitt County, North Carolina

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 37147 · population 169,746 · 652 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 647 records for Pitt County, North Carolina from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 373 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (254 records). The deadliest single record is the March 28, 1984 tornado: 9 deaths and 153 injuries. FEMA has issued 30 declarations naming the county since 1968, 28 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
647on 373 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
23267 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$696Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
33strongest F4
FEMA declarations
30latest 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 Pitt County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 254 since 1959. 44% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1959 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.

Pitt County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 254 166 1959-2026 1 9 $1.3M 60 of 100
Hail 175 103 1960-2025 0 0 $1.8M 35 of 100
Floods 78 39 1996-2025 1 0 $697K 60 of 100
Winter storms 38 37 1996-2026 0 92 $141K 88 of 100
Tornadoes 33 30 1950-2017 9 164 $97M 17 of 100
Hurricanes and tropical storms 19 18 1996-2020 9 2 $594M 25 of 100
Drought 16 16 2011-2026 0 0 – 44 of 100
Heavy rain 11 4 1998-2012 0 0 $163K 62 of 100
High wind and dust storms 10 8 2004-2022 0 0 $11K 84 of 100
Heat 6 6 2008-2025 3 0 – 37 of 100
Lightning 3 3 2002-2010 0 0 $233K 72 of 100
Extreme cold 2 2 1998-2004 0 0 – 83 of 100
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 1999-2009 0 0 – 46 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 Pitt County had?

NOAA records 33 tornadoes in Pitt County from 1950 to 2017, the strongest rated F4, with 9 deaths and 164 injuries recorded in the county. That is 17th 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 Pitt County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 33, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 16 people, 9 of them in Pitt County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Pitt County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1984-03-28 19:45, as SPC files itGreenvilleF428 mi16
1972-05-15 19:58, as SPC files itGreenvilleF38.5 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in North Carolina.

Every tornado record filed for Pitt County (33)
Every tornado recorded in Pitt County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-06-05 Whitehurst, Pitt County EF1 0.28 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2014-04-25 Arthur, Pitt County EF0 0.01 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2014-04-25 Shelmerdine, Pitt County EF2 1.13 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $748K
2011-04-16 Marlboro, Pitt County EF1 3.29 mi x 75 yd 0 5 $1.3M
2009-05-05 Shelmerdine, Pitt County EF0 0.23 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $14K
2009-03-27 Cannon Xrds, Pitt County EF1 0.82 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $275K
2008-09-26 Farmville Airport, Pitt County EF0 0.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $3K
2008-04-12 Farmville, Pitt County EF0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2008-02-18 Pactolus, Pitt County EF1 2.11 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $69K
2006-05-14 Bethel, Pitt County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2004-08-14 Winterville, Pitt County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $16K
2004-06-11 Farmville, Pitt County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2004-06-04 Stokes, Pitt County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2004-06-04 Greenville, Pitt County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2003-11-19 Stokes, Pitt County F0 0 0 $8K
2003-07-02 Ayden, Pitt County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $5K
2002-10-11 Falkland, Pitt County F1 7 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $16K
1999-09-15 Greenville, Pitt County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1999-04-11 Farmville, Pitt County F0 0.1 mi x 5 yd 0 0 –
1996-04-15 Greenville, Pitt County F0 0.4 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $47K
1996-04-15 Greenville, Pitt County F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $47K
1984-03-28 Pitt County F4 20 mi x 1,223 yd 9 153 $25M step
1980-02-23 Pitt County F0 0 0 –
1973-05-29 Pitt County F0 12.9 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1972-05-15 Pitt County F3 8.5 mi x 120 yd 0 4 $2.5M step
1964-08-31 Pitt County F1 3.4 mi x 33 yd 0 2 $250K step
1959-06-04 Pitt County F1 1 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $25K step
1956-03-18 Pitt County F1 1 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $3K step
1955-06-11 Pitt County F2 19.4 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $250K step
1953-04-16 Pitt County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1950-07-26 Pitt County F1 0 0 –
1950-05-31 Pitt County F1 0 0 $3K step
1950-05-12 Pitt County F1 2 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 Pitt County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the October 9, 2016 flash flood (1 death).

Car drove into severe flooding near Mozingo Road near V A O site C road. One Fatality reported.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 659778)
The 12 most recent records kept for Pitt County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-01 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-03-31 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindFrog Level, Pitt County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-02-01 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Winter StormPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-01-31 Winter StormPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2026-01-13 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2025-11-01 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 –
2025-10-07 DroughtPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 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

Records with deaths or injuries in Pitt County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1984-03-28 TornadoPitt County F4 20 mi x 1,223 yd 9 153 $25M step
1999-09-14 Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt Hurricane Floyd caused the largest peace time evacuation in the nations history. He also caused massive record flooding across inland sections of eastern North Carolina. At one time Floyd was classified as a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson scale and will likely be categorized as one of the nation's most ... 5 0 $524M
2011-08-26 Tropical StormPitt County · forecast zone Pitt Across Pitt County...winds gusted near hurricane force resulting in minor to major structural damage to 2000 homes and businesses, mainly due to fallen trees. Agricultural losses were estimated at 38 million dollars from flooding and winds. Storm total rainfall was 7 to 13 inches with flooding of roads and low lying ... 2 0 $63M
2008-06-13 HeatPitt County · forecast zone Pitt A man and a woman were found dead in a trailer on June 16th. It is believed they died on June 13th due to extreme heat. The trailer they were found in had no air conditioning and all the windows were closed despite temperatures well into the 90s. Smoke from a large wildfire to the east had spread over the region on ... 2 0 –
2016-10-08 Tropical StormPitt County · forecast zone Pitt Widespread heavy rain and strong winds developed over the region from the afternoon of October 8th through the morning of October 9th. Rainfall was generally 7 to 11 inches over the county with a storm total of 10.74 inches reported in Farmville. The heavy rainfall produced significant flash flooding with many roads ... 1 1 –
1996-09-04 Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt Hurricane Fran moved onshore near Cape Fear Thursday evening (9/6) and raced north toward Raleigh cutting a swath of destruction. The Category 3 hurricane destroyed or damaged 90% of the homes in North Topsail Beach. The town hall and police station were destroyed. A 15 foot storm surge cut a 100-foot-wide inlet ... 1 1 $941K
2016-10-09 Flash FloodArthur, Pitt County Car drove into severe flooding near Mozingo Road near V A O site C road. One Fatality reported. 1 0 –
2012-07-01 Thunderstorm WindCalico, Pitt County Beaufort County law enforcement reported a shed fell on a man, killing him, while he was trying to put his all-terrain vehicle in storage. 60 kt wind 1 0 –

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.

The costliest records in Pitt County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-09-14 Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt 5 0 $524M
2011-08-26 Tropical StormPitt County · forecast zone Pitt 2 0 $63M
2003-09-17 Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 $3.2M
1996-07-12 Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 $1.9M
2011-04-16 TornadoMarlboro, Pitt County EF1 3.29 mi x 75 yd 0 5 $1.3M
2000-07-16 HailGrifton, Pitt County 2.75 in hail 0 0 $1.0M
2004-08-14 Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt 0 0 $781K
2014-04-25 TornadoShelmerdine, Pitt County EF2 1.13 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $748K

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, Pitt County, 9 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 Pitt 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).

Pitt County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind23102641408349
Hail0111735594319
Floods––––10102830
Winter storms––––713117
Tornadoes712241340
Hurricanes and tropical storms––––9541

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 1959 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 40 · Feb 31 · Mar 32 · Apr 73 · May 130 · Jun 95 · Jul 108 · Aug 61 · Sep 37 · Oct 22 · Nov 13 · Dec 5 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Pitt County

FEMA's register lists 30 declarations that include Pitt County: 16 major disasters, 14 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (20) and tropical storm (2).

Declarations including Pitt County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3637Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2024-09-26EM-3617Tropical StormHurricane Helene
2024-08-06EM-3608Tropical StormTropical Storm Debby
2022-10-01EM-3586HurricaneHurricane Ian
2020-10-14DR-4568HurricaneHurricane Isaias
2020-08-02EM-3534HurricaneHurricane Isaias
2020-03-25DR-4487BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3471BiologicalCovid-19
2019-10-04DR-4465HurricaneHurricane Dorian
2019-09-03EM-3423HurricaneHurricane Dorian
2018-09-14DR-4393HurricaneHurricane Florence
2018-09-10EM-3401HurricaneHurricane Florence
2016-10-10DR-4285HurricaneHurricane Matthew
2016-10-07EM-3380HurricaneHurricane Matthew
2011-08-31DR-4019HurricaneHurricane Irene
2011-08-25EM-3327HurricaneHurricane Irene
2011-04-19DR-1969Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2010-10-14DR-1942Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Straight-Line Winds
2010-09-01EM-3314HurricaneHurricane Earl
2005-09-14EM-3254HurricaneHurricane Ophelia
2005-09-05EM-3222HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-09-18DR-1490HurricaneHurricane Isabel
1999-09-16DR-1292HurricaneHurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations
1999-09-15EM-3146HurricaneHurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations
1998-08-27DR-1240HurricaneHurricane Bonnie
1996-09-06DR-1134HurricaneHurricane Fran
1996-07-18DR-1127HurricaneHurricane Bertha
1996-01-13DR-1087SnowstormBlizzard of 96
1984-03-30DR-699TornadoSevere Storms & Tornadoes
1968-02-10DR-234Severe Ice StormSevere Ice Storm

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 Pitt County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 78 flood or flash flood records for Pitt County from 1996 to 2025, on 39 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Pitt County ranks 285th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Pitt County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Floyd1999-09-1415
Hurricane Matthew2016-10-0822
Hurricane Irene2011-08-2612
Hurricane Fran1996-09-0411
Hurricane Isabel2003-09-1710
Hurricane Bertha1996-07-1210

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $36.3 million on 1,205 claims filed in Pitt County; the most in one year was 597 in 1999. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 2 · 1981: 2 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 3 · 1985: 2 · 1986: 3 · 1987: 5 · 1988: 1 · 1992: 3 · 1993: 4 · 1996: 26 · 1998: 17 · 1999: 597 · 2000: 7 · 2001: 2 · 2002: 2 · 2003: 41 · 2004: 9 · 2005: 4 · 2006: 30 · 2008: 3 · 2009: 2 · 2010: 30 · 2011: 69 · 2012: 16 · 2014: 3 · 2015: 5 · 2016: 255 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 32 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2025: 10; 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 Pitt County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pitt County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $81.1 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Pitt County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Winter WeatherVery High$1.4M3.3 a year (modeled)
HurricaneRelatively High$30Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
TornadoRelatively High$11Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$2.6M7.8 modeled event-days a year
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$31M1.1 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$747K51 a year (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$754K3.2 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$325Kabout once 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 Pitt County

  1. Craven County 683
  2. Pitt County 647
  3. Beaufort County 507
  4. Lenoir County 460
  5. Wilson County 452
  6. Edgecombe County 388
  7. Martin County 322
  8. Greene County 288

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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