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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fayetteville, NC

Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.

68 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fayetteville, North Carolina since 1851, 9 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ian in 2022. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
9

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
59

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
66

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
6

31 deaths in all

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fayetteville

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Fayetteville, North Carolina, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2022IanOct 135 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 5
2021ElsaJul 825 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 1
2021ClaudetteJun 211 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2020IsaiasAug 446 miTropical storm (72 mph)Category 1
2019NestorOct 209 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2018MichaelOct 1161 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 5
2016HermineSep 369 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
2013AndreaJun 78 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2008HannaSep 634 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 1
2006ErnestoSep 160 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
2006AlbertoJun 145 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
2004CharleyAug 1460 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 4
2000HeleneSep 2358 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1998EarlSep 425 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1996JosephineOct 853 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1996FranSep 616 miCategory 1 (77 mph)Category 3
1996BerthaJul 1274 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 3
1995AllisonJun 656 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 1
1984DianaSep 1439 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 4
1971GingerOct 153 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 2
1970AlmaMay 2621 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 1
1965Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16overheadTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1960BrendaJul 3066 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1956FlossySep 2648 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 1
1955DianeAug 1730 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 2
1954HazelOct 1528 miCategory 3 (112 mph)Category 4
1952Unnamed 1952 stormAug 2854 miTropical storm (45 mph)Tropical storm
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 2530 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1946Unnamed 1946 stormJul 669 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1945Unnamed 1945 stormSep 1834 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 4
1944Unnamed 1944 stormOct 2018 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 4
1944Unnamed 1944 stormAug 241 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 1
1935Unnamed 1935 stormSep 618 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 5
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 232 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 1939 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 5
1924Unnamed 1924 stormSep 3038 miTropical storm (68 mph)Category 1
1920Unnamed 1920 stormSep 2313 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormSep 647 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1633 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1913Unnamed 1913 stormOct 1071 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1913Unnamed 1913 stormSep 38 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 1
1912Unnamed 1912 stormJun 149 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1904Unnamed 1904 stormSep 146 miTropical storm (68 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 1632 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1901Unnamed 1901 stormJul 1349 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1899Unnamed 1899 stormOct 318 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 2
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 2933 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 3
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 948 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 1318 miCategory 1 (93 mph)Category 3
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 414 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 4
1893Unnamed 1893 stormJun 1657 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1889Unnamed 1889 stormSep 2455 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1032 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1886Unnamed 1886 stormJul 22 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 2
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1346 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1885Unnamed 1885 stormAug 2570 miCategory 1 (87 mph)Category 2
1883Unnamed 1883 stormSep 1136 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 3
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 1174 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1881Unnamed 1881 stormSep 968 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 2
1878Unnamed 1878 stormSep 1259 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 2
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 414 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 2937 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 1
1867Unnamed 1867 stormJun 233 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1859Unnamed 1859 stormSep 1766 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 1
1856Unnamed 1856 stormSep 148 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 3
1854Unnamed 1854 stormSep 92 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 3
1852Unnamed 1852 stormOct 1051 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 2
1851Unnamed 1851 stormAug 2525 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fayetteville: 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 Fayetteville

By decade

  • 2020s4
  • 2010s8(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s15
  • 1990s9
  • 1980s13(2 EF3+)
  • 1970s10(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s5(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s2(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Fayetteville, North Carolina
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Mar 28, 1984F49 mi40 mi4 / 395
Apr 8, 1957F411 mi121.4 mi4 / 70
Mar 28, 1984F315 mi40 mi12 / 101
Apr 16, 2011EF35 mi52.86 mi2 / 176
Feb 22, 1971F32 mi85.7 mi2 / 60
Apr 18, 1969F36 mi77.3 mi0 / 3
Apr 16, 2011EF221 mi29.88 mi3 / 13
Sep 29, 1963F213 mi85.8 mi3 / 12
Feb 11, 1981F2in town12.4 mi1 / 0
Mar 27, 2009EF210 mi2.02 mi0 / 1
Apr 15, 1999F224 mi0.1 mi0 / 5
May 19, 1986F26 mi19 mi0 / 5

The strongest 12 of 66, 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 Fayetteville 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.

Other cities in North Carolina