Rutherford County tornado history

13 tornadoes touched Rutherford County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.2 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (May 5, 1989). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 85 people.

13tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

2killed · 85 injured

60.2 milongest path · 1973

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

By rating

(E)F06

(E)F13

(E)F22

(E)F31

(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	15 mi	700 yd	35	2
May 27, 1973	F3	60.2 mi	150 yd	40	0
Jan 11, 2012	EF2	3.8 mi	200 yd	10	0
May 18, 1975	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	21.8 mi	150 yd	0	0
Jul 7, 2005	F1	0.7 mi	50 yd	0	0
May 18, 1975	F1	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
May 24, 2000	F0	2 mi	30 yd	0	0
Sep 25, 2024	EF0	0.4 mi	25 yd	0	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF0	0.3 mi	30 yd	0	0
May 27, 1973	F0	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Jun 8, 2019	EF0	0.1 mi	30 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Sep 25, 2024	EF0	0.4 mi	25 yd	0	0
Apr 10, 2021	EF0	0.1 mi	20 yd	0	0
Jun 8, 2019	EF0	0.1 mi	30 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	21.8 mi	150 yd	0	0
Jan 11, 2012	EF2	3.8 mi	200 yd	10	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF0	0.3 mi	30 yd	0	0
Jul 7, 2005	F1	0.7 mi	50 yd	0	0
May 24, 2000	F0	2 mi	30 yd	0	0
May 5, 1989	F4	15 mi	700 yd	35	2
May 18, 1975	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
May 18, 1975	F1	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
May 27, 1973	F3	60.2 mi	150 yd	40	0

Deadliest: May 5, 1989, F4, 2 killed.

Nearby counties

Polk County, NC4 McDowell County, NC6 Cleveland County, NC29 Burke County, NC10 Cherokee County, SC23 Henderson County, NC4 Spartanburg County, SC38 Buncombe County, NC7

Questions

How many tornadoes has Rutherford County, North Carolina had?

13 tornadoes touched Rutherford 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 Rutherford County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on May 5, 1989, with a 15-mile path and 2 deaths.

When is tornado season in Rutherford County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (6 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).