NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chapel Hill, NC
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
49 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Chapel Hill, North Carolina since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 46
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chapel Hill
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 21 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 23 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | EarlSep 4 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1996 | FranSep 6 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 10 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 17 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 42 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 18 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormAug 2 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 6 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormSep 3 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 14 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 6 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 33 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 2 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 12 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 29 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormJun 23 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Chapel Hill: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Chapel Hill
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 27, 1988 | F4 | 18 mi | 83 mi | 4 / 154 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 65.23 mi | 6 / 103 |
| Nov 23, 1992 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.5 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Apr 19, 2019 | EF2 | 6 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 29, 1991 | F2 | 2 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1989 | F2 | 5 mi | 8.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1984 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 7, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 18, 1956 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | F2 | 10 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2022 | EF1 | 16 mi | 3.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2022 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Chapel Hill while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.