North Carolina hurricanes and tropical storms
Every recorded hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996 · 99 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,130 hurricane and tropical storm records in North Carolina from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 33 a year since 2000. The deadliest was Hurricane Floyd (September 14, 1999): 14 deaths and $8.0 billion in damage in 2025 dollars across 26 records. North Carolina ranks 4th of 34 states and territories by count and 8th of 33 per square mile.
Hurricanes and tropical storms in North Carolina, 1996 to 2026
Tropical 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
- 1,1301996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 33average
- Deaths
- 6131 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $15.4Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 1996189 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 hurricane and tropical storm records common in North Carolina?
North Carolina averages about 33 hurricane and tropical storm records a year since 2000, 4th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (189). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Carolina records 232 hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996, 8th of 33 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 hurricane and tropical storm records?
Per square mile, New Hanover County leads North Carolina: 29 days with a hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996, 150.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Carteret County has the most tropical records (46 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 hurricane season in North Carolina?
67% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996 fell in August and September. The busiest month is September (520 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 6 · Mar 3 · Apr 6 · May 13 · Jun 58 · Jul 95 · Aug 238 · Sep 520 · Oct 191 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest hurricane and tropical storm records in North Carolina?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-09-14 | Hurricane Floyd · Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt One named storm filed by several offices: 26 records in 5 episodes, 1999-09-14 to 1999-10-16; the totals are the storm's. 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 ... | 14 | 0 | $8.0B | |
| 1996-09-05 | Hurricane Fran · Hurricane (Typhoon)Wake County · forecast zone Wake One named storm filed by several offices: 19 records in 5 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane FRAN was the worst natural economic disaster to occur in North Carolina history. In the RAH county warning area along, the damage exceeded 2 billion dollars. Damage to crops, livestock, farm equipment/buildings was over 400 million. The agricultural damage was the greatest in Sampson, Johnston, and Wayne ... | 13 | 6 | $2.3B | |
| 2018-09-14 | Hurricane Florence · Tropical StormLenoir County · forecast zone Lenoir One named storm filed by several offices: 37 records in 4 episodes, 2018-09-14 to 2018-09-25; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane Florence was a long-lived Cape Verde hurricane and the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the Carolinas. The sixth named storm, third hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Florence originated from a strong tropical wave that emerged off the west coast of Africa on ... | 11 | 1 | $2.0B | |
| 2024-09-27 | Hurricane Helene · Tropical StormRutherford County · forecast zone Greater Rutherford One storm episode: 29 records in 23 places; the totals are the episode'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 ... | 6 | 0 | $88M | |
| 2016-10-08 | Hurricane Matthew · Tropical StormBladen County · forecast zone Bladen One named storm filed by several offices: 4 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Major Hurricane Matthew moved up the southeast coast and slowly weakened to a category 1 storm as it moved up along the South Carolina coast and then eastward near the North Carolina coast. The hurricane brought 6 to 12 inches of rain and up to 18 inches to some areas of southeast North Carolina, with the bulk of the ... | 5 | 1 | $112M | |
| 2011-08-26 | Hurricane Irene · Tropical StormPitt County · forecast zone Pitt One named storm filed by several offices: 41 records in 4 episodes, 2011-08-26 to 2011-08-27; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane Irene made landfall during the morning of the 27th, near Cape Lookout, as a large category 1 hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Due to the large size of the hurricane, strong damaging winds, major storm surge, and flooding rains were experienced across much of eastern North Carolina. ... | 4 | 1 | $615M | |
| 2022-09-30 | Hurricane Ian · Tropical StormJohnston County · forecast zone Johnston One storm episode: 26 records in 26 places; the totals are the episode's. Hurricane Ian made landfall along the South Carolina coast near Georgetown during the early afternoon hours of September 30, 2022. Widespread wind gusts over tropical storm force and heavy rainfall occurred across much of central North Carolina through the afternoon and evening hours. There were numerous reports of ... | 4 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2003-09-18 | Hurricane Isabel · Hurricane (Typhoon)Chowan County · forecast zone Chowan One named storm filed by several offices: 31 records in 4 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane Isabel was a Category 1 hurricane as it crossed the Wakefield WFO county warning area. Sustained tropical storm force winds with frequent gusts to hurricane force occurred over coastal northeast North Carolina. Isabel made landfall near Ocracoke Inlet in North Carolina, tracked northwest into central ... | 2 | 0 | $766M | |
| 1996-07-12 | Hurricane Bertha · Hurricane (Typhoon)Eastern Dare · forecast zone Eastern Dare One named storm filed by several offices: 17 records in 4 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane Bertha slammed into the North Carolina coastline between Surf City and North Topsail Beach causing severe damage to property, utilities and roads. Hardest hit were agricultural crops which suffered losses in excess of $126 million. Heaviest damage was in Topsail Beach and all of Onslow County up the coast to ... | 1 | 10 | $583M | |
| 1998-08-26 | Hurricane Bonnie · Hurricane (Typhoon)Camden County and Currituck County · forecast zone Western Currituck One named storm filed by several offices: 10 records in 5 episodes, 1998-08-26 to 1998-08-27; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane Bonnie moved along the coast of northeast North Carolina on August 27th. Very strong winds and heavy rains associated with Bonnie's spiral bands hammered northeast North Carolina Thursday afternoon into early Friday morning. The highest sustained wind speed recorded at the Elizabeth City Coast Guard Station ... | 1 | 0 | $358M |
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 hurricane and tropical storm records in North Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-09-14 | Hurricane Floyd · Hurricane (Typhoon)Pitt County · forecast zone Pitt One named storm filed by several offices: 26 records in 5 episodes, 1999-09-14 to 1999-10-16; the totals are the storm's. | 14 | 0 | $8.0B | |
| 1996-09-05 | Hurricane Fran · Hurricane (Typhoon)Wake County · forecast zone Wake One named storm filed by several offices: 19 records in 5 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 13 | 6 | $2.3B | |
| 2018-09-14 | Hurricane Florence · Tropical StormLenoir County · forecast zone Lenoir One named storm filed by several offices: 37 records in 4 episodes, 2018-09-14 to 2018-09-25; the totals are the storm's. | 11 | 1 | $2.0B | |
| 2003-09-18 | Hurricane Isabel · Hurricane (Typhoon)Chowan County · forecast zone Chowan One named storm filed by several offices: 31 records in 4 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 2 | 0 | $766M | |
| 2011-08-26 | Hurricane Irene · Tropical StormPitt County · forecast zone Pitt One named storm filed by several offices: 41 records in 4 episodes, 2011-08-26 to 2011-08-27; the totals are the storm's. | 4 | 1 | $615M | |
| 1996-07-12 | Hurricane Bertha · Hurricane (Typhoon)Eastern Dare · forecast zone Eastern Dare One named storm filed by several offices: 17 records in 4 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 1 | 10 | $583M | |
| 1998-08-26 | Hurricane Bonnie · Hurricane (Typhoon)Camden County and Currituck County · forecast zone Western Currituck One named storm filed by several offices: 10 records in 5 episodes, 1998-08-26 to 1998-08-27; the totals are the storm's. | 1 | 0 | $358M | |
| 1998-08-26 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Eastern Dare · forecast zone Eastern Dare | 0 | 0 | $223M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hurricane and tropical storm records 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 | 381 | 1,123 | 33.9% |
| 2000s | 204 | 4,928 | 4.1% |
| 2010s | 331 | 2,761 | 12.0% |
| 2020-26 | 214 | 2,697 | 7.9% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hurricane and tropical storm records in North Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-21 | Tropical StormDare County · forecast zone Hatteras Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-21 | Tropical StormDare County · forecast zone Northern Outer Banks | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-21 | Tropical StormCurrituck County · forecast zone Eastern Currituck | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-21 | Tropical StormCurrituck County · forecast zone Western Currituck | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-21 | Tropical StormCamden County · forecast zone Camden | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-21 | Tropical StormPasquotank County · forecast zone Pasquotank | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-20 | Storm Surge/TideHyde County · forecast zone Ocracoke Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-20 | Storm Surge/TideDare County · forecast zone Hatteras Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormMacon County · forecast zone Macon | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormSwain County · forecast zone Swain | 0 | 0 | $470K | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormUnion County · forecast zone Union | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormMecklenburg County · forecast zone Mecklenburg | 2 | 0 | $2.8M |
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 hurricane and tropical storm records in North Carolina
FEMA has declared 40 disasters in North Carolina for hurricane and tropical storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name hurricane or tropical storm or typhoon in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 27 were major disasters, the latest on October 19, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-19 | DR-4837 | Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight | 6 |
| 2024-09-28 | DR-4827 | Tropical Storm Helene | 40 |
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3617 | Hurricane Helene | 101 |
| 2024-08-06 | EM-3608 | Tropical Storm Debby | 74 |
| 2022-10-01 | EM-3586 | Hurricane Ian | 101 |
| 2021-09-08 | DR-4617 | Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred | 11 |
| 2021-03-03 | DR-4588 | Tropical Storm Eta | 19 |
| 2020-10-14 | DR-4568 | Hurricane Isaias | 16 |
| 2020-08-02 | EM-3534 | Hurricane Isaias | 101 |
| 2019-10-04 | DR-4465 | Hurricane Dorian | 28 |
| 2019-09-03 | EM-3423 | Hurricane Dorian | 101 |
| 2019-01-31 | DR-4412 | Tropical Storm Michael | 21 |
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 hurricane and tropical storm records per square mile
- Hurricanes and tropical storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in North CarolinaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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