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Winter in Polk County, North Carolina

51 winter storms and snow events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Winter Storm, Winter Weather, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Ice Storm, Lake-Effect Snow, Sleet.

51 events · 0 deaths recorded · peak month January · county share of state 0.6%

Winter event locations in and around Polk County. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.

Polk County, North Carolina, has 51 winter events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 10 different years.

January is the busiest month, with 17 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 0 events against 51 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.

The county holds 0.6% of the 8,965 winter events recorded in North Carolina; its 21.5 per 100 square miles compares with 18.4 statewide.

Some winter weather and high wind events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county; zone-recorded events whose zone is named for the county are included and marked "Forecast zone" in the table.

Compared with North Carolina

Measure	Polk County	North Carolina	US
Winter events since 1950	51	8,965	287,339
Per 100 square miles	21.5	18.4	8.1
Per 10,000 residents	25.9	8.5	8.7
Deaths recorded	0	58	2,509
Busiest month	January	January	January

By year

195019882026

Winter events recorded in Polk County per year, 1950 to 2026 (2026 is partial).

Seasonality

Jan
17Feb
10Mar
6Apr
2May
0Jun
0Jul
0Aug
0Sep
0Oct
0Nov
1Dec
15

Winter events in Polk County by month of occurrence, all years.

Recorded events

All 51 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.

Date	Event type	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
15 Dec 2005	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
15 Dec 2005	Ice Storm	—	$50K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
8 Dec 2005	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
17 Mar 2005	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
27 Feb 2005	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Jan 2005	Winter Storm	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
22 Jan 2005	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
30 Mar 2004	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
26 Feb 2004	Heavy Snow	—	$1K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
2 Feb 2004	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
27 Jan 2004	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
25 Jan 2004	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
25 Jan 2004	Sleet	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
4 Dec 2003	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
10 Apr 2003	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
30 Mar 2003	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
27 Feb 2003	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Feb 2003	Winter Storm	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
6 Feb 2003	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
23 Jan 2003	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Jan 2003	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
4 Dec 2002	Ice Storm	—	$9.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
17 Apr 2001	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
20 Mar 2001	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
19 Dec 2000	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
13 Dec 2000	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
3 Dec 2000	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
19 Nov 2000	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Jan 2000	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
22 Jan 2000	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
24 Dec 1999	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
26 Mar 1999	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Mar 1999	Sleet	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
1 Feb 1999	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
31 Jan 1999	Sleet	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
2 Jan 1999	Ice Storm	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
24 Dec 1998	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
23 Dec 1998	Sleet	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
27 Jan 1998	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Dec 1997	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
8 Dec 1997	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
13 Feb 1997	Winter Storm	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Jan 1997	Ice Storm	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
8 Jan 1997	Sleet	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
18 Dec 1996	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
6 Dec 1996	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Feb 1996	Winter Weather	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
2 Feb 1996	Ice Storm	—	$10M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
26 Jan 1996	Ice Storm	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
11 Jan 1996	Winter Storm	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone
6 Jan 1996	Heavy Snow	—	—	—	—	—	Forecast zone

Questions and answers

How many winter events has Polk County had?

51 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of winter storms and snow became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.

When was the last recorded winter event in Polk County?

15 Dec 2005 (Ice Storm). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.

What was the most damaging winter event recorded in Polk County?

The ice storm of 2 Feb 1996, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $10M.

How does Polk County compare with North Carolina for winter?

21.5 events per 100 square miles against 18.4 statewide; the county holds 51 of the state's 8,965 recorded events.

Provenance

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Winter hub and the county page.