Rockingham County tornado history

13 tornadoes touched Rockingham County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.2 a year. The strongest was rated F3 (Mar 20, 1998). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 34 people.

13tornadoes since 1950

F3strongest rating

2killed · 34 injured

56.2 milongest path · 1960

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

By rating

(E)F02

(E)F19

(E)F21

(E)F31

(E)F40

(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
Mar 20, 1998	F3	12 mi	300 yd	27	2
Apr 15, 2018	EF2	32.8 mi	500 yd	5	0
Mar 30, 1960	F1	56.2 mi	50 yd	0	0
Sep 17, 2004	F1	15.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jun 6, 1981	F1	9 mi	17 yd	0	0
May 6, 2022	EF1	7.9 mi	300 yd	0	0
Feb 18, 1976	F1	5.2 mi	33 yd	2	0
Sep 27, 2024	EF1	0.3 mi	50 yd	0	0
May 15, 1967	F1	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
May 6, 1996	F1	0.1 mi	20 yd	0	0
Aug 12, 2004	F1	—	20 yd	0	0
May 5, 2017	EF0	3.3 mi	375 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Sep 27, 2024	EF1	0.3 mi	50 yd	0	0
May 6, 2022	EF1	7.9 mi	300 yd	0	0
Apr 15, 2018	EF2	32.8 mi	500 yd	5	0
May 5, 2017	EF0	3.3 mi	375 yd	0	0
May 3, 2009	EF0	1.3 mi	20 yd	0	0
Sep 17, 2004	F1	15.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Aug 12, 2004	F1	—	20 yd	0	0
Mar 20, 1998	F3	12 mi	300 yd	27	2
May 6, 1996	F1	0.1 mi	20 yd	0	0
Jun 6, 1981	F1	9 mi	17 yd	0	0
Feb 18, 1976	F1	5.2 mi	33 yd	2	0
May 15, 1967	F1	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0

Deadliest: Mar 20, 1998, F3, 2 killed.

Nearby counties

Henry County, VA7 Guilford County, NC16 Caswell County, NC7 Danville city, VA3 Stokes County, NC10 Forsyth County, NC16 Alamance County, NC11 Patrick County, VA4

Questions

How many tornadoes has Rockingham County, North Carolina had?

13 tornadoes touched Rockingham County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.2 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Rockingham County?

The strongest rating recorded was F3 on Mar 20, 1998, with a 12-mile path and 2 deaths.

When is tornado season in Rockingham County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (5 of 13). 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).