Cherokee County tornado history

10 tornadoes touched Cherokee County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.1 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Apr 3, 1974). Tornadoes here killed 4 and injured 26 people.

10tornadoes since 1950
F4strongest rating
4killed · 26 injured
24 milongest path · 1974
(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F04
(E)F14
(E)F21
(E)F30
(E)F41
(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: April.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Apr 3, 1974F424 mi400 yd264
Mar 2, 2012EF221.5 mi400 yd00
Apr 2, 1974F116.8 mi10 yd00
May 7, 1998F114 mi100 yd00
May 8, 2024EF12.3 mi40 yd00
Apr 3, 1974F10.1 mi10 yd00
Apr 4, 1974F09.7 mi10 yd00
Mar 17, 2018EF00.6 mi100 yd00
Apr 16, 1991F00.5 mi50 yd00
Sep 21, 1979F00.1 mi100 yd00

Most recent tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
May 8, 2024EF12.3 mi40 yd00
Mar 17, 2018EF00.6 mi100 yd00
Mar 2, 2012EF221.5 mi400 yd00
May 7, 1998F114 mi100 yd00
Apr 16, 1991F00.5 mi50 yd00
Sep 21, 1979F00.1 mi100 yd00
Apr 4, 1974F09.7 mi10 yd00
Apr 3, 1974F10.1 mi10 yd00
Apr 3, 1974F424 mi400 yd264
Apr 2, 1974F116.8 mi10 yd00

Deadliest: Apr 3, 1974, F4, 4 killed.

Nearby counties

Clay County, NC5Graham County, NC1Union County, GA3Fannin County, GA10Monroe County, TN19Towns County, GA1Polk County, TN13Macon County, NC4

Questions

How many tornadoes has Cherokee County, North Carolina had?

10 tornadoes touched Cherokee 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 Cherokee County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Apr 3, 1974, with a 24-mile path and 4 deaths.

When is tornado season in Cherokee County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in April (5 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).