Burke County tornado history

10 tornadoes touched Burke County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.1 a year. The strongest was rated EF2 (Oct 23, 2017).

10tornadoes since 1950
EF2strongest rating
0killed · 8 injured
13.5 milongest path · 2017
(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F04
(E)F13
(E)F23
(E)F30
(E)F40
(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Oct 23, 2017EF24.9 mi1,300 yd00
Jan 11, 2012EF24.2 mi300 yd80
May 24, 1979F20.3 mi30 yd00
Apr 3, 1974F16.9 mi10 yd00
Sep 27, 2010EF12.6 mi75 yd00
Oct 8, 2017EF12.2 mi250 yd00
Oct 8, 2017EF013.5 mi100 yd00
May 24, 2000F04 mi30 yd00
May 24, 2000F00.3 mi20 yd00
May 11, 2008EF00.1 mi20 yd00

Most recent tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Oct 23, 2017EF24.9 mi1,300 yd00
Oct 8, 2017EF013.5 mi100 yd00
Oct 8, 2017EF12.2 mi250 yd00
Jan 11, 2012EF24.2 mi300 yd80
Sep 27, 2010EF12.6 mi75 yd00
May 11, 2008EF00.1 mi20 yd00
May 24, 2000F00.3 mi20 yd00
May 24, 2000F04 mi30 yd00
May 24, 1979F20.3 mi30 yd00
Apr 3, 1974F16.9 mi10 yd00

Nearby counties

Caldwell County, NC11McDowell County, NC6Avery County, NC2Rutherford County, NC13Catawba County, NC20Cleveland County, NC29Alexander County, NC11Lincoln County, NC23

Questions

How many tornadoes has Burke County, North Carolina had?

10 tornadoes touched Burke County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.1 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Burke County?

The strongest rating recorded was EF2 on Oct 23, 2017, with a 4.9-mile path.

When is tornado season in Burke County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (4 of 10). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).