Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina

Tornadoes in Duplin County, North Carolina

42 tornadoes have crossed Duplin County since 1950, 6th of the 99 counties in North Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 224. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and 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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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: 42
Deaths: 3
Injuries: 224
F4 and above: 1
Worst on record: F4, March 28, 1984

The deadliest in Duplin County

F4, Sampson, Duplin and Wayne counties, North CarolinaMarch 28, 19843 killed, 149 injured

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Duplin County. Each year links to every tornado in North Carolina that year.

Year	Tornadoes	Deaths	Injuries	Strongest
2023	1			EF1
2021	1			EF1
2016	2			EF1
2014	2		1	EF2
2011	3			EF1
2009	2			EF0
2007	2			EF0
2006	1			F0
2000	1			F0
1999	1		19	F2
1998	1			F1
1996	7		3	F2
1995	1		1	F1
1994	1			F0
1985	1			F1
1984	1	3	149	F4
1982	1			F1
1978	1			F2
1976	1			F2
1975	3		20	F2
1974	2		1	F2
1971	1			F1
1969	1		1	F3
1965	1			F2
1961	1			F2
1960	1			F1
1957	1		29	F3

Every tornado that crossed Duplin County

42 tornadoes, newest first.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 22, 2023	8:01 PM EDT	EF1	Duplin	0.1	30
June 2, 2021	4:59 PM EDT	EF1	Duplin	2.1	75
February 24, 2016	1:13 PM EST	EF1	Duplin	0.2	100			$100,000
February 24, 2016	12:57 PM EST	EF0	Duplin	0.5	150			$5,000
September 8, 2014	4:45 PM EDT	EF2	Duplin	0.1	100		1	$200,000
July 3, 2014	4:36 PM EDT	EF1	Duplin	0.8	200			$150,000
April 28, 2011	3:00 PM EDT	EF1	Duplin	1.4	100			$10,000
April 16, 2011	6:35 PM EDT	EF0	Duplin	0.6	150
April 16, 2011	5:12 PM EDT	EF0	Duplin	0.2	30
May 5, 2009	3:34 PM EDT	EF0	Duplin	0.2	10
May 5, 2009	3:28 PM EDT	EF0	Duplin	0.1	10			$10,000
July 17, 2007	9:15 PM EDT	EF0	Duplin	0.0	10
July 17, 2007	9:13 PM EDT	EF0	Duplin	0.0	20
July 23, 2006	6:50 PM EDT	F0	Duplin	0.1	25			$10,000
May 21, 2000	6:20 PM EDT	F0	Duplin	0.5	50
April 15, 1999	10:00 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	30.0	900		19	$6.0 million
August 26, 1998	5:05 PM EDT	F1	Duplin	0.2	30			$90,000
September 16, 1996	11:12 PM EDT	F1	Duplin	2.0	100			$40,000
April 15, 1996	3:48 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	1.0	75
April 15, 1996	3:40 PM EDT	F1	Duplin	0.5	50			$70,000
April 15, 1996	3:35 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	0.8	75			$200,000
April 15, 1996	3:33 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	1.0	75		3	$70,000
April 15, 1996	3:30 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	1.5	75			$450,000
April 15, 1996	3:25 PM EDT	F1	Duplin	0.3	50			$30,000
January 6, 1995	12:30 AM EST	F1	Duplin	1.0	73		1	$5,000 to $50,000
March 28, 1994	3:00 PM EST	F0	Duplin	4.0	30			$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 1985	3:45 PM EDT	F1	Duplin	0.2	150			$5,000 to $50,000
March 28, 1984	8:15 PM EST	F4	Sampson	21.0	1,407	3	149	$5 million to $50 million
June 5, 1982	6:30 PM EDT	F1	Duplin	1.0	10			$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 1978	5:43 PM EST	F2	Duplin	11.6	70			$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 1976	5:00 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	0.3	13			$500 to $5,000
September 8, 1975	2:20 PM EDT	F1	Duplin	0.6	100			$5,000 to $50,000
March 24, 1975	11:30 AM EDT	F1	Duplin	10.9	50			$5,000 to $50,000
March 14, 1975	1:30 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	32.6	100		20	$500,000 to $5 million
June 1, 1974	8:45 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	0.1	10			$50,000 to $500,000
June 1, 1974	3:55 PM EDT	F2	Duplin	0.1	10		1	$500,000 to $5 million
March 15, 1971	3:30 PM EST	F1	Cumberland	64.0	50			$50,000 to $500,000
April 18, 1969	4:15 PM GMT-5	F3	Sampson	25.8	300		1	$5,000 to $50,000
July 15, 1965	5:00 PM GMT-4	F2	Duplin	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 1961	12:45 PM GMT-4	F2	Duplin	1.0	50			$50,000 to $500,000
February 18, 1960	1:30 PM GMT-5	F1	Duplin	0.1	10			$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 1957	9:00 PM GMT-5	F3	Duplin	8.0	150		29	$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Duplin County The forecast for Duplin County The live radar over Duplin County Every 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.