Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina

Tornadoes in Bladen County, North Carolina

29 tornadoes have crossed Bladen County since 1950, 19th of the 99 counties in North Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 17 people and injured 123. 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
29
Deaths
17
Injuries
123
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, March 28, 1984

The deadliest in Bladen County

  1. F3, Cumberland, Bladen and Sampson counties, North CarolinaMarch 28, 198412 killed, 101 injured
  2. EF2, Bladen, Cumberland and Sampson counties, North CarolinaApril 16, 20113 killed, 13 injured
  3. F0, Bladen County, North CarolinaJanuary 6, 19951 killed, 3 injured
  4. EF2, Bladen County, North CarolinaApril 16, 20111 killed

The strongest

  1. F3, Cumberland, Bladen and Sampson counties, North CarolinaMarch 28, 1984F3, 40.0 mi (64 km)
  2. F2, Columbus, Bladen and Pender counties, North CarolinaOctober 4, 1964F2, 54.6 mi (88 km)
  3. EF2, Bladen, Cumberland and Sampson counties, North CarolinaApril 16, 2011EF2, 29.9 mi (48 km)
  4. EF2, Bladen County, North CarolinaApril 16, 2011EF2, 13.1 mi (21 km)
  5. EF2, Bladen County, North CarolinaMarch 28, 2009EF2, 1.6 mi (3 km)
  6. EF2, Bladen County, North CarolinaApril 6, 2009EF2, 1.4 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Bladen County, North CarolinaJuly 1, 1990F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Bladen County, North CarolinaApril 15, 1999F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Bladen County. Each year links to every tornado in North Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20243EF1
20211EF0
20191EF0
20181EF0
20122EF0
20112413EF2
20093EF2
20031F1
199915F2
19982F1
199711F1
19963F0
1995113F0
19941F0
19901F2
1984112101F3
19791F0
19661F1
19641F2
19601F1

Every tornado that crossed Bladen County

29 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 27, 202411:22 AM EDTEF1Bladen6.3100$50,000
September 27, 202411:17 AM EDTEF0Bladen5.030
May 14, 20248:03 PM EDTEF0Columbus6.040$4,000
June 2, 20219:04 PM EDTEF0Bladen0.320
September 5, 20197:21 AM EDTEF0Bladen4.940$20,000
September 16, 20183:35 PM EDTEF0Bladen0.130
October 1, 20126:18 PM EDTEF0Bladen2.920$4,000
October 1, 20125:58 PM EDTEF0Bladen0.120$3,000
April 16, 20114:58 PM EDTEF2Bladen13.14401$3.1 million
April 16, 20114:25 PM EDTEF2Bladen29.9800313$11 million
April 6, 200910:40 AM EDTEF2Bladen1.4100$300,000
March 28, 20099:36 PM EDTEF0Bladen0.110$1,000
March 28, 20099:08 PM EDTEF2Bladen1.640$200,000
July 2, 20038:00 PM EDTF1Bladen0.875$20,000
April 15, 19998:45 PM EDTF2Bladen0.1305$200,000
June 13, 19984:25 PM EDTF1Bladen2.030$30,000
June 13, 19984:15 PM EDTF1Bladen0.330
October 26, 19974:45 PM ESTF1Bladen0.2501$350,000
December 7, 19964:55 PM ESTF0Bladen0.110$10,000
November 8, 19967:25 PM ESTF0Bladen0.115
May 11, 19967:40 PM EDTF0Bladen0.110
January 6, 199511:15 PM ESTF0Bladen2.015013$50,000 to $500,000
March 28, 19941:15 PM ESTF0Bladen0.530$500 to $5,000
July 1, 19907:15 PM EDTF2Bladen0.230$50,000 to $500,000
March 28, 19847:45 PM ESTF3Cumberland40.01,40712101$5 million to $50 million
August 21, 19794:40 PM EDTF0Bladen0.110under $50
March 4, 19669:00 AM GMT-5F1Bladen0.310$5,000 to $50,000
October 4, 19647:15 PM GMT-4F2Columbus54.650$50,000 to $500,000
September 11, 19603:00 PM GMT-4F1Bladen15.4800$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Bladen CountyThe forecast for Bladen CountyThe live radar over Bladen 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.