States › North Carolina › Rowan County

Rowan County, North Carolina

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 37159 · 148,150 residents (2021) · 512 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 111Tornado · 13Flood · 42Wind · 358Winter · 97

Rowan County within North Carolina. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. 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. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 694 events for Rowan County, North Carolina, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 135.7 events per 100 square miles, in line with the North Carolina figure of 112.5, and 46.8 per 10,000 residents against 51.8 statewide.

7 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 5 deaths and 15 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $16M and crop damage at $1.0M.

FEMA has designated the county in 21 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (emergency, 24 Jan 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 65 claims since 1978, of which 47 were paid, totalling $1.1M (about $24K per paid claim). FEMA counts 188 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($48M a year across 18 hazards).

41 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 1 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

7events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

694events since 19505 deaths, 15 injuries recorded

21disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

65NFIP flood claims$1.1M paid

Compared with North Carolina and the United States

Measure	Rowan County	North Carolina	US
Recorded events since 1950	694	54,696	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	135.7	112.5	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	46.8	51.8	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	7	1,437	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	5	622	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$16M	$15B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	0.4	10.4	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$24K	$28K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	13.3	24.1	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1Wind: 3

Tornado: 2Wind: 5

Hail: 1Tornado: 2Wind: 8

Hail: 10Wind: 28

Hail: 26Tornado: 3Flood: 2Wind: 43Winter: 16Cold: 3Drought: 7Lightning: 1Fog: 2

Hail: 39Tornado: 1Flood: 25Wind: 107Winter: 39Cold: 5Drought: 26Lightning: 7Fog: 1Other: 3

Hail: 25Tornado: 2Flood: 7Wind: 107Winter: 31Tropical: 1Heat: 2Cold: 3Lightning: 5Other: 1

Hail: 9Tornado: 3Flood: 8Wind: 57Winter: 11Tropical: 2Cold: 2Drought: 2

41950s71960s111970s381980s1031990s2532000s1842010s942020s

Recorded events in Rowan County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 377 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 272 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind358

Hail111

Winter97

Flood42

Drought35

Tornado13

Cold13

Lightning13

Other4

Tropical3

Fog3

Heat2

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	358	—	1.6%	detail
■ Hail	111	—	1.1%	detail
■ Winter	97	1	1.1%	detail
■ Flood	42	—	0.8%	detail
■ Drought	35	—	2.1%
■ Tornado	13	—	0.8%	detail
■ Cold	13	4	1.7%
■ Lightning	13	—	1.6%
■ Other	4	—	0.4%
■ Tropical	3	—	0.3%
■ Fog	3	—	4.4%
■ Heat	2	—	0.6%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
15 Dec 2005	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$25K	—	1	—	Forecast zone
4 Feb 1996	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
11 Jan 1997	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
19 Dec 2000	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
4 Jan 2002	Extreme Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
25 Feb 1979	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	3	County
2 May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	75 mph	$10K	—	—	3	County
4 Jul 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	—	—	—	3	County
13 Jun 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$50K	—	—	2	County
19 Jun 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$5K	—	—	2	County
18 Aug 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	—	—	—	1	County
4 Dec 2002	Ice Storm	Winter	—	$10M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
16 May 2010	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
8 Apr 2007	Frost/Freeze	Cold	—	—	$1.0M	—	—	Forecast zone
14 Jan 2005	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$500K	—	—	—	County
21 Jul 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	92 mph	$500K	—	—	—	County
28 Mar 2010	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$500K	—	—	—	County
27 Apr 1965	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
18 Aug 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	75 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County
26 Jun 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
24 Jan 2026	EM-3637	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
28 Sep 2024	DR-4827	Major disaster	Tropical Storm	Tropical Storm Helene	Individual assistance, Public assistance
26 Sep 2024	EM-3617	Emergency	Tropical Storm	Hurricane Helene	Public assistance
6 Aug 2024	EM-3608	Emergency	Tropical Storm	Tropical Storm Debby	Public assistance
1 Oct 2022	EM-3586	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Ian	Public assistance
3 Mar 2021	DR-4588	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Eta	Public assistance
2 Aug 2020	EM-3534	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Isaias	Public assistance
25 Mar 2020	DR-4487	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3471	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
3 Sep 2019	EM-3423	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Dorian	Public assistance
14 Sep 2018	DR-4393	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Florence	Public assistance
10 Sep 2018	EM-3401	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Florence	Public assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3222	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
12 Dec 2002	DR-1448	Major disaster	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Ice Storm	Public assistance
16 Sep 1999	DR-1292	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Sep 1999	EM-3146	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations	Public assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1087	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96	Public assistance
17 Mar 1993	EM-3110	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm	Public assistance
25 Sep 1989	DR-844	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Hugo	Individual assistance, Public assistance
11 Aug 1977	EM-3049	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance
2 Mar 1977	EM-3033	Emergency	Snowstorm	Drought & Freezing	Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Rowan County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197865

Paid claims47

Total paid$1.1M

Average paid claim$24K

Repetitive-loss properties60 severe

Residential policies in force1880.3% of 56,329 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2020	11	8	$590,243	$73,780
2018	14	12	$146,166	$12,180
2016	1	0	$0	—
2013	1	0	$0	—
2011	1	1	$2,223	$2,223
2010	7	6	$42,986	$7,164
2009	2	1	$4,336	$4,336
2008	7	6	$217,876	$36,313
2006	1	0	$0	—
2005	3	3	$42,234	$14,078
2004	1	1	$13,672	$13,672
2003	4	3	$48,650	$16,217
2001	1	1	$3,351	$3,351
1996	1	1	$29,029	$29,029
1995	3	2	$1,450	$725
1987	1	0	$0	—
1985	1	0	$0	—
1983	1	0	$0	—
1982	2	2	$2,744	$1,372
1981	2	0	$0	—

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 82.9 of 100

Expected annual loss$48MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceRelatively Moderate

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$24,847,546
Cold wave	Relatively High	$10,625,540
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$5,278,071
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$2,155,656
Ice storm	Relatively High	$1,564,587
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,014,746
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$711,147
Drought	Relatively Moderate	$555,093
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$522,645
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$376,057
Hail	Relatively Low	$231,485
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$124,231
Wildfire	Very Low	$40,325
Landslide	Very Low	$466

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles41

Tracks within 50 miles10

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Debby	2024	73 mi	46 mph
Claudette	2021	92 mi	46 mph
Elsa	2021	86 mi	52 mph
Nestor	2019	88 mi	46 mph
Michael	2018	29 mi	52 mph
Alberto	2006	93 mi	40 mph
Hugo	1989	68 mi	63 mph
Bob	1985	58 mi	52 mph
David	1979	45 mi	52 mph
Alma	1970	80 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1965	92 mi	40 mph
Gracie	1959	65 mi	52 mph
Able	1952	17 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	53 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	69 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	87 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1935	78 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	65 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1927	47 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	32 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1913	93 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1912	83 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1907	44 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1904	92 mi	69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1902	65 mi	40 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

28144 32
28146 13
28147 9

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Rowan County, NC?

NCEI records 111 hail events in Rowan County since 1950, in 35 different years; that is about 1.4 recorded events a year. 28 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Rowan County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 13 tornadoes in Rowan County since 1950, 1 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Rowan County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 21 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Rowan County, and how much was paid?

65 NFIP claims since 1978, 47 of them paid, for $1.1M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Rowan County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Rowan County compare with the rest of North Carolina?

135.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 112.5 statewide, and 0.4 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 10.4. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.