Swain County tornado history

4 tornadoes touched Swain County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.1 a year. The strongest was rated F2 (Apr 3, 1974). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 11 people.

4tornadoes since 1950

F2strongest rating

2killed · 11 injured

24.1 milongest path · 1974

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

By rating

(E)F01

(E)F12

(E)F21

(E)F30

(E)F40

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: February.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 3, 1974	F2	24.1 mi	10 yd	11	2
Feb 18, 1976	F1	2 mi	40 yd	0	0
May 6, 2022	EF1	0.5 mi	50 yd	0	0
Mar 2, 2012	EF0	0.1 mi	40 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 6, 2022	EF1	0.5 mi	50 yd	0	0
Mar 2, 2012	EF0	0.1 mi	40 yd	0	0
Feb 18, 1976	F1	2 mi	40 yd	0	0
Apr 3, 1974	F2	24.1 mi	10 yd	11	2

Deadliest: Apr 3, 1974, F2, 2 killed.

Nearby counties

Sevier County, TN3 Graham County, NC1 Blount County, TN16 Haywood County, NC2 Jackson County, NC5 Macon County, NC4 Cocke County, TN6 Jefferson County, TN10

Questions

How many tornadoes has Swain County, North Carolina had?

4 tornadoes touched Swain 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 Swain County?

The strongest rating recorded was F2 on Apr 3, 1974, with a 24.1-mile path and 2 deaths.

When is tornado season in Swain County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in February (1 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).