Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina

Tornadoes in Wake County, North Carolina

40 tornadoes have crossed Wake County since 1950, 8th of the 99 counties in North Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 11 people and injured 300. 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.

  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
11
Injuries
300
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, November 27, 1988

The deadliest in Wake County

  1. EF3, Moore, Lee, Chatham and Wake counties, North CarolinaApril 16, 20116 killed, 103 injured
  2. F4, Wake, Franklin, Nash and Halifax counties, North CarolinaNovember 27, 19884 killed, 154 injured
  3. F1, Wake County, North CarolinaJune 13, 19821 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Wake, Franklin, Nash and Halifax counties, North CarolinaNovember 27, 1988F4, 83.0 mi (134 km)
  2. EF3, Moore, Lee, Chatham and Wake counties, North CarolinaApril 16, 2011EF3, 65.2 mi (105 km)
  3. F2, Harnett, Wake, Franklin and Warren counties, North CarolinaNovember 2, 1966F2, 64.5 mi (104 km)
  4. EF2, Wake and Nash counties, North CarolinaMay 13, 2019EF2, 17.2 mi (28 km)
  5. F2, Wake County, North CarolinaApril 5, 1952F2, 6.9 mi (11 km)
  6. F2, Harnett and Wake counties, North CarolinaJune 16, 1982F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  7. F2, Wake County, North CarolinaFebruary 11, 1981F2, 1.9 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Wake County, North CarolinaMarch 20, 1998F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Wake County, North CarolinaMarch 18, 1956F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF1
20231EF1
20192EF2
20181EF1
20142EF0
20121EF0
201126104EF3
20101EF0
20071EF0
20041F0
20011F0
199832F2
1996326F1
19931F0
19901F1
198824154F4
19861F1
198221F2
198112F2
19771F0
19751F1
197322F1
19672F1
196619F2
195621F2
19521F2
19502F1

Every tornado that crossed Wake County

40 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 3, 20245:28 PM EDTEF1Wake1.530$120,000
December 10, 202312:28 PM ESTEF1Wake1.9250
July 23, 20192:34 PM EDTEF0Wake1.2175$50,000
May 13, 201910:13 AM EDTEF2Wake17.2385$1.3 million
April 15, 201810:35 PM EDTEF1Wake0.7100$150,000
March 29, 20149:08 PM EDTEF0Wake0.175$5,000
March 29, 20148:57 PM EDTEF0Wake0.2145$8,000
September 18, 20123:38 PM EDTEF0Wake0.530
April 16, 20112:53 PM EDTEF3Moore65.25006103$172 million
March 6, 20115:10 PM ESTEF0Wake2.3501$100,000
April 25, 20107:59 PM EDTEF0Wake3.975$250,000
September 14, 20077:25 PM EDTEF0Wake0.125
September 27, 20047:30 PM EDTF0Wake4.050
June 1, 20012:00 PM EDTF0Wake0.125
March 20, 19986:45 PM ESTF0Wake0.230$10,000
March 20, 19986:40 PM ESTF2Wake1.51002$650,000
March 20, 19986:15 PM ESTF0Wake0.130
July 12, 19962:25 PM EDTF0Wake4.5100$50,000
April 15, 19966:25 PM EDTF1Wake3.05026$3.0 million
April 15, 19966:08 PM EDTF0Wake2.0200$10,000
March 27, 19933:05 PM ESTF0Wake0.530
October 23, 19903:15 AM EDTF1Harnett1.5100$5,000 to $50,000
November 27, 198812:00 AM ESTF4Wake83.04004154$50 million to $500 million
March 26, 19888:55 PM ESTF0Wake0.213
March 14, 19864:55 PM ESTF1Wake0.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 16, 19822:20 PM EDTF2Harnett5.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 13, 19824:10 PM EDTF1Wake0.3131$5,000 to $50,000
February 11, 19814:05 AM ESTF2Wake1.98002$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 19774:50 PM EDTF0Wake1.023$500 to $5,000
December 31, 19755:00 PM ESTF1Wake0.120$500 to $5,000
May 29, 19734:00 AM EDTF0Wake0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 19735:00 PM EDTF1Wake6.4102$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 19673:25 PM GMT-4F1Wake1.027$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19676:30 PM GMT-4F0Wake0.110
November 2, 196610:30 AM GMT-5F2Harnett64.5779$50,000 to $500,000
March 18, 19563:30 PM GMT-5F2Wake0.3100$500 to $5,000
March 18, 19563:30 PM GMT-5F1Wake0.3501$5,000 to $50,000
April 5, 19521:45 AM GMT-5F2Wake6.9300$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 19507:00 PM GMT-4F1Wake1.0200
May 12, 19507:00 PM GMT-4F0Wake1.0200

Nearby

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