Catawba County tornado history

20 tornadoes touched Catawba County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (May 5, 1989). Tornadoes here killed 5 and injured 59 people.

20tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

5killed · 59 injured

36.2 milongest path · 2023

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F05

(E)F19

(E)F25

(E)F30

(E)F41

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 5, 1989	F4	14 mi	800 yd	52	4
Aug 18, 1954	F2	5.4 mi	50 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF2	4.9 mi	1,300 yd	0	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF2	2.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
Aug 16, 1994	F2	1.5 mi	200 yd	1	0
Aug 9, 1951	F2	0.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jan 9, 2024	EF1	9 mi	250 yd	4	1
Aug 7, 2023	EF1	36.2 mi	550 yd	0	0
May 27, 1973	F1	31.3 mi	300 yd	0	0
Nov 22, 1992	F1	26 mi	800 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	12.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Sep 18, 1982	F1	0.5 mi	10 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Jan 9, 2024	EF1	9 mi	250 yd	4	1
Aug 7, 2023	EF1	36.2 mi	550 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	12.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF2	4.9 mi	1,300 yd	0	0
May 1, 2017	EF0	2.7 mi	50 yd	0	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF0	0.7 mi	100 yd	0	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF2	2.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF0	0.4 mi	75 yd	0	0
Sep 28, 1998	F0	0.2 mi	30 yd	0	0
Aug 16, 1994	F2	1.5 mi	200 yd	1	0
Nov 22, 1992	F1	26 mi	800 yd	0	0
Mar 7, 1992	F0	0.1 mi	80 yd	0	0

Deadliest: May 5, 1989, F4, 4 killed.

Nearby counties

Lincoln County, NC23 Alexander County, NC11 Iredell County, NC23 Gaston County, NC21 Caldwell County, NC11 Burke County, NC10 Cleveland County, NC29 Mecklenburg County, NC29

Questions

How many tornadoes has Catawba County, North Carolina had?

20 tornadoes touched Catawba County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Catawba County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on May 5, 1989, with a 14-mile path and 4 deaths.

When is tornado season in Catawba County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (5 of 20). 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).