Union County tornado history

24 tornadoes touched Union County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (May 5, 1989). Tornadoes here killed 1 and injured 26 people.

24tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

1killed · 26 injured

56.4 milongest path · 1956

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

By rating

(E)F05

(E)F111

(E)F26

(E)F31

(E)F41

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: April.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 5, 1989	F4	13 mi	500 yd	6	1
Oct 18, 1990	F3	12 mi	100 yd	2	0
Mar 24, 1975	F2	30.6 mi	100 yd	1	0
Apr 18, 1969	F2	27.3 mi	300 yd	0	0
Jun 7, 1968	F2	16.7 mi	200 yd	0	0
May 18, 1980	F2	3.3 mi	50 yd	0	0
May 14, 1950	F2	2 mi	10 yd	5	0
Mar 6, 1983	F2	2 mi	33 yd	9	0
Apr 6, 1956	F1	56.4 mi	100 yd	0	0
Feb 6, 2020	EF1	17.1 mi	150 yd	0	0
May 24, 2017	EF1	8.1 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jul 12, 1977	F1	2.6 mi	80 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Mar 5, 2025	EF1	2.3 mi	75 yd	0	0
Feb 6, 2020	EF1	17.1 mi	150 yd	0	0
May 24, 2017	EF1	8.1 mi	50 yd	0	0
Dec 28, 2015	EF0	0.9 mi	75 yd	0	0
Sep 5, 2011	EF0	0.5 mi	40 yd	0	0
Apr 16, 2011	EF0	3 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jul 4, 2001	F0	0.2 mi	—	0	0
Apr 13, 1996	F1	1 mi	50 yd	0	0
Apr 12, 1995	F0	0.5 mi	23 yd	1	0
Oct 18, 1990	F3	12 mi	100 yd	2	0
May 5, 1989	F4	13 mi	500 yd	6	1
May 24, 1988	F1	0.3 mi	50 yd	0	0

Deadliest: May 5, 1989, F4, 1 killed.

Nearby counties

Lancaster County, SC13 Anson County, NC8 Mecklenburg County, NC29 Stanly County, NC17 Cabarrus County, NC16 Chesterfield County, SC25 York County, SC24 Chester County, SC17

Questions

How many tornadoes has Union County, North Carolina had?

24 tornadoes touched Union County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Union County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on May 5, 1989, with a 13-mile path and 1 deaths.

When is tornado season in Union County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in April (5 of 24). 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).