North Carolina floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 100 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 5,375 floods and flash floods in North Carolina from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 181 a year since 2000. The deadliest was Hurricane Helene (September 27, 2024): 67 deaths, 4 injuries and $1.8 billion in damage in 2025 dollars across 30 records. North Carolina ranks 13th of 52 states and territories by count and 20th of 51 per square mile.
Floods in North Carolina, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 5,3751996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 181average
- Deaths
- 18636 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $4.9Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2024444 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in North Carolina?
North Carolina averages about 181 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 13th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (444). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Carolina records 1105 floods and flash floods since 1996, 20th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in North Carolina have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, New Hanover County leads North Carolina: 83 days with a flood since 1996, 431.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Wake County has the most flood records (291 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in North Carolina?
North Carolina's floods and flash floods by month. The busiest month is September (1,053 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 277 · Feb 160 · Mar 148 · Apr 225 · May 388 · Jun 612 · Jul 785 · Aug 878 · Sep 1,053 · Oct 446 · Nov 274 · Dec 129 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in North Carolina?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Hurricane Helene · Flash FloodRidgecrest, Buncombe County One named storm filed by several offices: 30 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th. A plume of moisture extending from the intensifying storm interacted with a slow-moving cold front to produce a ... | 67 | 4 | $1.8B | |
| 2016-10-09 | Hurricane Matthew · FloodFt Bragg, Cumberland County One named storm filed by several offices: 58 records in 6 episodes, 2016-10-09 to 2016-10-13; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane Matthew skirted by the North Carolina coast on October 8, 2016, dropping torrential rainfall of 8 to 15 inches and producing wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph across Central and Eastern North Carolina. The large swath of 8 to 15 inches of rain across Eastern and Central North Carolina, caused devastating and life ... | 24 | 0 | $1.1B | |
| 1999-09-15 | Hurricane Floyd · Flash FloodCountywide, Edgecombe County One named storm filed by several offices: 12 records in 4 episodes, 1999-09-15 to 1999-09-16; the totals are the storm's. Rainfall associated with Hurricane Floyd produced unprecedented flash flooding across the eastern half of the state. Every river and stream flooded nearby roads and communities. Several lives were lost due to people driving into flooded roadways or directly into streams where roads and bridges were washed out. Several ... | 23 | 1 | $172M | |
| 2018-09-15 | Hurricane Florence · Flash FloodWagram, Scotland County One named storm filed by several offices: 36 records in 4 episodes, 2018-09-15 to 2018-09-17; the totals are the storm's. A ridge of high pressure over eastern North America stalled Florence's forward motion a few miles off the southeast North Carolina coast on September 13th. Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach early on Saturday September 15, and weakened further as it moved slowly inland. Despite making landfall as ... | 12 | 0 | $762M | |
| 2020-11-12 | Tropical Storm Eta · Flash FloodVashti, Alexander County One named storm filed by several offices: 8 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Tropical Cyclone Eta moved from the eastern Gulf of Mexico, across the northern Florida peninsula, to off the South Carolina coast throughout the 11th and 12th. Tropical moisture streaming into the Carolinas throughout this time resulted in development of heavy rainfall, with widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 ... | 8 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2025-07-06 | Tropical Depression Chantal · Flash FloodMebane Hurdle Field Ar, Alamance County One named storm filed by several offices: 48 records in 2 episodes, 2025-07-06 to 2025-07-09; the totals are the storm's. Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall over northeastern South Carolina during the morning hours of July 6. The remnants of Chantal then tracked west-northwest into portions of central North Carolina, stalling out over the area before tracking east-northeast into Virginia by the 7th of July. Catastrophic flash flooding ... | 6 | 0 | $38M | |
| 2021-08-17 | Tropical Storm Fred · Flash FloodBurnett Siding, Haywood County One named storm filed by several offices: 7 records in 3 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on the 16th and lifted steadily north through Georgia and into the southern Appalachians during the 16th and throughout the 17th. Tropical moisture and strong southeast upslope flow into the Blue Ridge mountains resulted in widespread showers and some ... | 5 | 1 | $231M | |
| 2004-09-16 | Hurricane Ivan · FloodHaywood County · forecast zone Haywood One named storm filed by several offices: 15 records in 10 episodes, 2004-09-16 to 2004-09-18; the totals are the storm's. After an extended period of moderate to heavy rainfall, flooding developed first across the western part of the county, when several secondary roads became covered with water. During the overnight hours, flooding overspread the county, affecting most valley communities, which endured the second devastating flood event ... | 5 | 0 | $154M | |
| 2010-09-29 | FloodScuppernong, Washington County One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places, 2010-09-29 to 2010-09-30; the totals are the episode's. A stalled front across eastern North Carolina combined with a deep southerly flow of very moist air led to several days of torrential rain across eastern North Carolina from September 27th through the 30th. The remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole also lifted north along the coast during the afternoon and evening of ... | 5 | 0 | $98M | |
| 2003-06-16 | Flash FloodSouth Portion, Stanly County 4 people were killed when driving across a flooded bridge across Hardy Creek in Cottonville. Another man was killed when driving across a flooded bridge across Ugly Creek in Norwood. Cars were stranded in Norwood and Locust, and people had to be rescued. 3 businesses in Oakboro were flooded. | 5 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in North Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Hurricane Helene · Flash FloodRidgecrest, Buncombe County One named storm filed by several offices: 30 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 67 | 4 | $1.8B | |
| 2016-10-09 | Hurricane Matthew · FloodFt Bragg, Cumberland County One named storm filed by several offices: 58 records in 6 episodes, 2016-10-09 to 2016-10-13; the totals are the storm's. | 24 | 0 | $1.1B | |
| 2018-09-15 | Hurricane Florence · Flash FloodWagram, Scotland County One named storm filed by several offices: 36 records in 4 episodes, 2018-09-15 to 2018-09-17; the totals are the storm's. | 12 | 0 | $762M | |
| 2021-08-17 | Tropical Storm Fred · Flash FloodBurnett Siding, Haywood County One named storm filed by several offices: 7 records in 3 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 5 | 1 | $231M | |
| 1999-09-15 | Hurricane Floyd · Flash FloodCountywide, Edgecombe County One named storm filed by several offices: 12 records in 4 episodes, 1999-09-15 to 1999-09-16; the totals are the storm's. | 23 | 1 | $172M | |
| 2004-09-07 | Tropical Storm Frances · FloodBuncombe County · forecast zone Buncombe One named storm filed by several offices: 16 records in 7 episodes, 2004-09-07 to 2004-09-08; the totals are the storm's. | 0 | 0 | $156M | |
| 2004-09-16 | Hurricane Ivan · FloodHaywood County · forecast zone Haywood One named storm filed by several offices: 15 records in 10 episodes, 2004-09-16 to 2004-09-18; the totals are the storm's. | 5 | 0 | $154M | |
| 2010-09-29 | FloodScuppernong, Washington County One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places, 2010-09-29 to 2010-09-30; the totals are the episode's. | 5 | 0 | $98M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in North Carolina?
North Carolina's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | North Carolina | United States | North Carolina's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 651 | 20,986 | 3.1% |
| 2000s | 1,354 | 54,913 | 2.5% |
| 2010s | 1,897 | 68,322 | 2.8% |
| 2020-26 | 1,473 | 43,563 | 3.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in North Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-10 | Flash FloodWoodville, Surry County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-08 | Flash FloodLinwood, Davidson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-30 | FloodIndian Trail, Union County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2026-05-30 | Flash FloodIndian Trail, Union County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2026-05-27 | Flash FloodRichland, Caldwell County | 0 | 0 | $25K | |
| 2026-05-25 | Flash FloodFruitland, Henderson County | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2026-05-25 | Flash FloodClinton, Sampson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-25 | Flash FloodTusquitee, Clay County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Coastal FloodHyde County · forecast zone Ocracoke Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Coastal FloodDare County · forecast zone Hatteras Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-27 | Coastal FloodHyde County · forecast zone Ocracoke Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-27 | Coastal FloodDare County · forecast zone Hatteras Island | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in North Carolina
FEMA has declared 15 disasters in North Carolina for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 15 were major disasters, the latest on May 8, 2020.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-05-08 | DR-4543 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 19 |
| 2013-10-29 | DR-4153 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, Mudslides | 6 |
| 2013-09-25 | DR-4146 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 14 |
| 2013-03-01 | DR-4103 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 1 |
| 2011-04-19 | DR-1969 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 20 |
| 2010-10-14 | DR-1942 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-Line Winds | 14 |
| 2010-02-02 | DR-1871 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 14 |
| 1998-03-22 | DR-1211 | Severe Storms Tornadoes, and Flooding | 7 |
| 1998-01-15 | DR-1200 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 10 |
| 1995-10-23 | DR-1073 | Severe Storms, Flooding, High Winds | 15 |
| 1979-09-29 | DR-605 | Severe Storms & Flooding | 1 |
| 1977-11-09 | DR-542 | Severe Storms & Flooding | 16 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- New Hanover County: the county's whole recordThe North Carolina county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in North CarolinaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in North Carolina20,476 records
- Hail in North Carolina9,900 records
- Winter storms in North Carolina8,965 records