Polk County tornado history
4 tornadoes touched Polk County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.1 a year. The strongest was rated F1 (Aug 17, 1977).
4tornadoes since 1950
F1strongest rating
0killed · 0 injured
11.5 milongest path · 1977
(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only
By rating
(E)F02
(E)F12
(E)F20
(E)F30
(E)F40
(E)F50
By month
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: October.
By decade
’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20
Strongest tornadoes
| Date | Rating | Path | Width | Injured | Killed |
|---|
| Aug 17, 1977 | F1 | 11.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 0.6 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 29, 2024 | EF0 | 1 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF0 | 0.5 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | Path | Width | Injured | Killed |
|---|
| Dec 29, 2024 | EF0 | 1 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF1 | 0.6 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | EF0 | 0.5 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 1977 | F1 | 11.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
Nearby counties
Questions
How many tornadoes has Polk County, North Carolina had?
4 tornadoes touched Polk 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 Polk County?
The strongest rating recorded was F1 on Aug 17, 1977, with a 11.5-mile path.
When is tornado season in Polk County?
Most of its tornadoes happened in October (2 of 4). 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).