Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina

Tornadoes in Johnston County, North Carolina

25 tornadoes have crossed Johnston County since 1950, 21st of the 99 counties in North Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.0 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 222. 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
25
Deaths
3
Injuries
222
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 16, 2011

The deadliest in Johnston County

  1. EF3, Hoke, Cumberland, Harnett and Johnston counties, North CarolinaApril 16, 20112 killed, 176 injured
  2. EF2, Wilson and Johnston counties, North CarolinaNovember 15, 20081 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Harnett, Johnston, Wilson and Edgecombe counties, North CarolinaNovember 23, 1992F3, 160.0 mi (257 km)
  2. EF3, Hoke, Cumberland, Harnett and Johnston counties, North CarolinaApril 16, 2011EF3, 52.9 mi (85 km)
  3. EF2, Wilson and Johnston counties, North CarolinaNovember 15, 2008EF2, 4.1 mi (7 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 12 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Johnston County. Each year links to every tornado in North Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20193EF1
20131EF0
201122176EF3
20094EF1
2008412EF2
20073EF0
20041F0
20021F1
1992344F3
19771F1
19731F1

Every tornado that crossed Johnston County

25 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 4, 20254:59 AM EDTEF0Johnston0.130$20,000
September 5, 20194:31 PM EDTEF0Johnston0.150$50,000
July 23, 20193:00 PM EDTEF1Johnston0.2100
April 19, 20195:01 PM EDTEF1Sampson10.2125$1.1 million
February 26, 20138:18 PM ESTEF0Johnston0.575$45,000
April 16, 20114:50 PM EDTEF1Johnston8.6100
April 16, 20113:33 PM EDTEF3Hoke52.98002176$141 million
May 5, 20095:26 PM EDTEF1Johnston7.230$200,000
May 5, 20094:25 PM EDTEF0Johnston0.425$28,000
March 27, 20097:20 PM EDTEF0Johnston0.320
March 27, 20096:41 PM EDTEF0Johnston2.320
November 15, 20083:10 AM ESTEF2Wilson4.115012$500,000
November 15, 20083:03 AM ESTEF0Johnston3.350$75,000
November 15, 20082:42 AM ESTEF1Johnston0.950$30,000
August 27, 20081:44 PM EDTEF0Johnston0.350
September 14, 20076:50 PM EDTEF0Johnston0.325
September 14, 20076:44 PM EDTEF0Johnston0.425
September 14, 20076:15 PM EDTEF0Johnston0.725
June 4, 200411:41 AM EDTF0Johnston0.5100
October 11, 20022:05 AM EDTF1Johnston4.075
November 23, 19923:10 AM ESTF3Harnett160.010044$500,000 to $5 million
November 4, 19926:15 PM ESTF1Johnston0.320
November 4, 19923:25 PM ESTF1Johnston0.420$500 to $5,000
March 4, 19773:15 PM ESTF1Johnston0.520$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 19737:00 AM EDTF1Johnston17.910$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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