Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina

Tornadoes in Beaufort County, North Carolina

40 tornadoes have crossed Beaufort County since 1950, 10th of the 99 counties in North Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 46. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
40
Deaths
1
Injuries
46
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 25, 2014

The deadliest in Beaufort County

  1. F2, Beaufort County, North CarolinaApril 27, 19731 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Beaufort County, North CarolinaApril 25, 2014EF3, 21.0 mi (34 km)
  2. F2, Craven and Beaufort counties, North CarolinaMay 13, 1971F2, 44.4 mi (71 km)
  3. F2, Duplin, Lenoir and Beaufort counties, North CarolinaMarch 14, 1975F2, 32.6 mi (52 km)
  4. F2, Beaufort County, North CarolinaMay 17, 1963F2, 8.9 mi (14 km)
  5. EF2, Beaufort County, North CarolinaApril 7, 2014EF2, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  6. F2, Beaufort County, North CarolinaOctober 11, 2002F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  7. F2, Beaufort County, North CarolinaApril 24, 1968F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Pitt and Beaufort counties, North CarolinaApril 16, 1953F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Beaufort County, North CarolinaOctober 8, 1996F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Beaufort County, North CarolinaMarch 12, 1968F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Beaufort County. Each year links to every tornado in North Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF1
20221Unrated
20204EF1
2014221EF3
20113EF1
20093EF0
20084EF1
20071EF1
20041F1
20032F0
20022F2
19981F0
199621F2
19931F1
19841F1
19802F1
1975120F2
1973111F2
19711F2
19682F2
196312F2
196011F2
19541F1
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Beaufort County

40 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 4, 20232:49 PM ESTEF1Beaufort0.3125
September 30, 20223:22 PM EDTUnratedBeaufort0.712
August 3, 202012:50 AM EDTEF1Beaufort0.7180
August 3, 202012:48 AM EDTEF1Beaufort0.150
August 3, 202012:18 AM EDTEF1Beaufort0.270
April 13, 202010:15 AM EDTEF0Beaufort0.329
April 25, 20147:35 PM EDTEF3Beaufort21.035016$15 million
April 7, 20143:49 PM EDTEF2Beaufort4.73005$1.0 million
August 26, 20119:12 PM EDTEF1Beaufort4.475$200,000
April 28, 20115:23 PM EDTEF0Beaufort0.330
April 16, 20118:08 PM EDTEF0Beaufort0.630$4,000
July 17, 20098:12 PM EDTEF0Beaufort1.2100
July 17, 20095:23 PM EDTEF0Beaufort0.520
April 11, 20092:40 AM EDTEF0Beaufort0.310$100,000
April 28, 20085:25 PM EDTEF0Beaufort0.220
April 20, 20084:38 PM EDTEF0Beaufort0.220
April 20, 20083:45 PM EDTEF0Beaufort0.120
February 18, 20084:30 AM ESTEF1Pitt9.8150$100,000
July 11, 20077:00 PM EDTEF1Beaufort1.0100$250,000
August 13, 20047:00 AM EDTF1Beaufort2.030$100,000
August 6, 200312:30 PM EDTF0Beaufort0.120
May 10, 20039:42 PM EDTF0Beaufort0.150
October 11, 20026:45 PM EDTF0Beaufort1.050$20,000
October 11, 20025:38 PM EDTF2Beaufort3.0200$3.0 million
August 26, 19986:39 PM EDTF0Beaufort0.130
October 8, 19969:33 AM EDTF2Beaufort1.050$30,000
October 8, 19969:30 AM EDTF1Beaufort0.5501$30,000
August 6, 19933:30 PM EDTF1Beaufort0.510$5,000 to $50,000
April 15, 19844:50 PM ESTF1Beaufort0.183$50,000 to $500,000
October 3, 19805:30 PM EDTF1Beaufort1.5500$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19807:30 PM EDTF1Beaufort0.5200$5,000 to $50,000
March 14, 19751:30 PM EDTF2Duplin32.610020$500,000 to $5 million
April 27, 19734:15 AM ESTF2Beaufort0.512311$5,000 to $50,000
May 13, 197110:50 AM EDTF2Craven44.4300$50,000 to $500,000
April 24, 19685:00 PM GMT-5F2Beaufort2.0200$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 19689:52 PM GMT-5F2Beaufort1.027$50,000 to $500,000
May 17, 196312:00 AM GMT-4F2Beaufort8.9502$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 196011:00 AM GMT-4F2Beaufort0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
June 27, 19544:12 PM GMT-4F1Beaufort1.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 16, 195312:00 PM GMT-5F2Pitt2.0100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Beaufort CountyThe forecast for Beaufort CountyThe live radar over Beaufort CountyEvery county in North Carolina

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.