Tornado History Map

Wilkes County, North Carolina tornado history

12 tornadoes recorded in or across Wilkes County from 1973 to 2024, coloured by rating on the map.

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Years1950 to 2025
Rating (F or EF scale)

Shows tornadoes that started in, or crossed, the chosen state. To see how many have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • F0 / EF0 Light damage
  • F1 / EF1 Moderate damage
  • F2 / EF2 Considerable damage
  • F3 / EF3 Severe damage
  • F4 / EF4 Devastating damage
  • F5 / EF5 Incredible damage
  • Unknown Not rated (2007 onwards)

How to read the lines. Each line is one tornado, drawn from where it started to where it ended, coloured and sized by its rating. A dot means the record has no end point. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see how many tornadoes have passed nearby. Weaker tornadoes appear as you zoom in. Ratings use the Fujita (F) scale before 1 February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from then on.

Tornadoes in Wilkes County

The Storm Prediction Center records 12 tornadoes whose paths touched Wilkes County, North Carolina between 1973 and 2024. None of them is recorded as having killed anyone. The busiest month is August, with 3 tornadoes. The strongest was an F1 on 27 May 1973. The most recent was on 26 September 2024.

  • 12tornadoes
  • 0deaths
  • 4injuries
  • 159per 10,000 sq mi of land

A tornado that crossed several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

How strong were the tornadoes in Wilkes County?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF0325%
F1 / EF1975%
F2 / EF200%
F3 / EF300%
F4 / EF400%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating00%

Wilkes County tornadoes over time

Tornadoes by decade
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 4 in 1970s.1970s41990s12010s32020s4

The 2020s only run to 2024, so that bar is for a shorter period. The record starts in 1950.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1970s4
1990s1
2010s3
2020s4
Tornadoes by month
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 3 in Aug.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr2May2Jun1Jul0Aug3Sep2Oct2Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr2
May2
Jun1
Jul0
Aug3
Sep2
Oct2
Nov0
Dec0

Records for Wilkes County

  • Strongest and Longest path: North Carolina tornado27 May 1973, F1, 3 injuries, 32.3 miles long
  • Most recent: North Carolina tornado26 September 2024, EF1, 0.4 miles long

Many of these tornadoes killed or injured people. The numbers are the official record's, and they may be revised.

More in North Carolina

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