Tornadoes · United States · North Carolina

Tornadoes in Wilson County, North Carolina

20 tornadoes have crossed Wilson County since 1950, 33rd of the 99 counties in North Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.8 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 71. 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
20
Deaths
3
Injuries
71
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, August 8, 2024

The deadliest in Wilson County

  1. EF3, Wilson County, North CarolinaNovember 15, 20081 killed, 4 injured
  2. EF2, Wilson and Johnston counties, North CarolinaNovember 15, 20081 killed, 2 injured
  3. EF3, Wilson County, North CarolinaAugust 8, 20241 killed

The strongest

  1. F3, Harnett, Johnston, Wilson and Edgecombe counties, North CarolinaNovember 23, 1992F3, 160.0 mi (257 km)
  2. F3, Wilson, Edgecombe and Bertie counties, North CarolinaNovember 8, 1957F3, 46.9 mi (75 km)
  3. F3, Wilson, Nash and Edgecombe counties, North CarolinaMarch 15, 1953F3, 30.1 mi (48 km)
  4. EF3, Wilson County, North CarolinaNovember 15, 2008EF3, 8.2 mi (13 km)
  5. EF3, Wilson County, North CarolinaAugust 8, 2024EF3, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  6. EF2, Wilson County, North CarolinaApril 16, 2011EF2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  7. EF2, Wilson and Johnston counties, North CarolinaNovember 15, 2008EF2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  8. EF2, Wilson County, North CarolinaMay 5, 2009EF2, 2.8 mi (4 km)
  9. F2, Wilson County, North CarolinaSeptember 20, 1954F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Wilson County. Each year links to every tornado in North Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202411EF3
20191EF1
20181EF0
20121EF1
2011310EF2
200911EF2
2008426EF3
20041F0
20021F1
19971F0
19961F0
1992144F3
195715F3
195414F2
195311F3

Every tornado that crossed Wilson County

20 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 8, 20242:45 AM EDTEF3Wilson6.52001$2.0 million
September 5, 20194:07 PM EDTEF1Wilson0.8200$20,000
September 17, 20187:06 AM EDTEF0Wilson0.9350$250,000
August 11, 20125:09 PM EDTEF1Wilson0.240$350,000
August 6, 201111:25 AM EDTEF0Wilson2.575$150,000
April 16, 20115:12 PM EDTEF2Wilson9.020010$3.0 million
March 6, 20116:17 PM ESTEF0Wilson0.425
May 5, 20094:44 PM EDTEF2Wilson2.81001$1.5 million
November 15, 20083:30 AM ESTEF3Wilson8.210014$1.0 million
November 15, 20083:10 AM ESTEF2Wilson4.115012$500,000
August 27, 200812:57 AM EDTEF0Wilson1.9100$150,000
August 27, 20081:50 PM EDTEF0Wilson4.550
June 4, 200412:50 PM EDTF0Wilson1.0100
October 11, 20022:10 AM EDTF1Wilson2.050
May 1, 19976:00 PM EDTF0Wilson2.050$70,000
July 12, 19961:30 PM EDTF0Wilson0.350
November 23, 19923:10 AM ESTF3Harnett160.010044$500,000 to $5 million
November 8, 19576:30 PM GMT-5F3Wilson46.91505$50,000 to $500,000
September 20, 19543:00 PM GMT-4F2Wilson0.51004$50,000 to $500,000
March 15, 19539:00 PM GMT-5F3Wilson30.1271$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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