County Hazards

States › North Carolina › 1998

North Carolina, 1998

The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.

1,893events recorded991 in 1997
13deaths recorded93 injuries
$233Mproperty damage (estimates)$250M crop damage
3disaster declarations5,170 NFIP claims, $28M paid
← 19971999 →

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.

Events by hazard

Hail545
Wind476
Winter296
Flood189
Drought105
Other81
Tornado66
Tropical41
Heat32
Lightning32
Cold17
Fog12
Wildfire1

Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1998 was 1,893 against 991 in 1997.

Counties with the most recorded events

CountyEvents in 1998
Mecklenburg County40
Rockingham County39
Wake County37
Avery County35
New Hanover County33
Catawba County32
Brunswick County29
Wilkes County29
Carteret County28
Iredell County28
Lenoir County28
Yancey County28
McDowell County27
Pender County27
Pitt County27
Randolph County27
Surry County27
Buncombe County26
Craven County26
Duplin County26
Madison County26
Onslow County26
Union County26
Wayne County26
Burke County25

Notable events

DateCountyEvent typeMagnitudeProperty damageDeathsInjuries
17 Feb 1998CarteretWinter Storm—$25,0004—
20 Mar 1998RockinghamTornadoF3$34,000,000227
19 Jan 1998BeaufortWinter Storm——21
29 Jun 1998MecklenburgHeat——2—
26 Aug 1998Forecast zoneHurricane (Typhoon)—$2,000,0001—
23 May 1998CarteretLightning——1—
1 Aug 1998WayneLightning——1—
26 Aug 1998Forecast zoneHurricane (Typhoon)—$6,400,000——
7 Jan 1998TransylvaniaFlash Flood—$1,500,000—10
7 May 1998ForsythTornadoF3$50,000,000—5
26 Aug 1998BrunswickHurricane (Typhoon)—$35,000,000——
19 Jan 1998DuplinWinter Storm———5
19 Jan 1998MartinWinter Storm———4
19 Jan 1998PittWinter Storm———4
8 Jan 1998New HanoverTornadoF1$175,000—3
20 Mar 1998StokesTornadoF1$100,000—3
8 Mar 1998RobesonTornadoF1$100,000—3
9 Mar 1998SampsonThunderstorm Wind58 mph$90,000—3
1 Apr 1998LenoirTornadoF1$90,000—3
26 Aug 1998New HanoverHurricane (Typhoon)—$26,200,000——
3 Feb 1998Forecast zoneWinter Storm—$22,000,000——
7 May 1998CaldwellTornadoF4$1,100,000—2
20 Mar 1998WakeTornadoF2$650,000—2
7 May 1998CaswellTornadoF0$200,000—2
23 May 1998CarteretLightning———2
26 Aug 1998PenderHurricane (Typhoon)—$11,000,000——
20 Mar 1998DurhamTornadoF2$600,000—1
8 Jan 1998DuplinThunderstorm Wind—$100,000—1
26 May 1998JohnstonThunderstorm Wind58 mph$50,000—1
8 Jan 1998MadisonFlood—$50,000—1
23 May 1998New HanoverTornadoF1$50,000—1
20 Mar 1998RobesonTornadoF1$20,000—1
7 May 1998YanceyLightning———1
30 Jun 1998GuilfordThunderstorm Wind58 mph——1
26 May 1998CatawbaThunderstorm Wind58 mph——1
9 Aug 1998GranvilleLightning———1
20 Jul 1998MecklenburgFlash Flood———1
23 Jun 1998HalifaxLightning———1
3 Jun 1998VanceLightning———1
20 Jul 1998DavidsonLightning———1

Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.

Federal disaster declarations in 1998

DeclaredNumberTypeIncidentTitleCounties
27 Aug 1998DR-1240Major disasterHurricaneHurricane Bonnie30
22 Mar 1998DR-1211Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms Tornadoes, And Flooding7
15 Jan 1998DR-1200Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And Flooding10

Flood insurance claims with a 1998 date of loss

5,170 NFIP claims, 3,126 of them paid, for $28,025,667.

Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.