Durham County tornado history

11 tornadoes touched Durham County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.1 a year. The strongest was rated F2 (May 5, 1989).

11tornadoes since 1950
F2strongest rating
0killed · 5 injured
8.7 milongest path · 1989
(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F03
(E)F15
(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
May 5, 1989F28.7 mi100 yd00
Mar 20, 1998F22.5 mi100 yd10
Apr 4, 1984F21.7 mi67 yd40
May 15, 2014EF10.8 mi150 yd00
Sep 27, 2024EF10.6 mi50 yd00
Feb 24, 2016EF10.4 mi30 yd00
Mar 31, 2022EF10.2 mi100 yd00
Jul 16, 1989F10.1 mi30 yd00
May 23, 2022EF01.5 mi100 yd00
May 14, 2006F00.5 mi50 yd00
Dec 31, 1975F00.1 mi10 yd00

Most recent tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Sep 27, 2024EF10.6 mi50 yd00
May 23, 2022EF01.5 mi100 yd00
Mar 31, 2022EF10.2 mi100 yd00
Feb 24, 2016EF10.4 mi30 yd00
May 15, 2014EF10.8 mi150 yd00
May 14, 2006F00.5 mi50 yd00
Mar 20, 1998F22.5 mi100 yd10
Jul 16, 1989F10.1 mi30 yd00
May 5, 1989F28.7 mi100 yd00
Apr 4, 1984F21.7 mi67 yd40
Dec 31, 1975F00.1 mi10 yd00

Nearby counties

Orange County, NC12Wake County, NC40Granville County, NC9Person County, NC11Alamance County, NC11Chatham County, NC12Franklin County, NC13Vance County, NC9

Questions

How many tornadoes has Durham County, North Carolina had?

11 tornadoes touched Durham 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 Durham County?

The strongest rating recorded was F2 on May 5, 1989, with an 8.7-mile path.

When is tornado season in Durham County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (4 of 11). 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.