Columbus County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Columbus County: 8.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 8, 2016Tropical Storm, Columbus$91.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and wind to the region. The peak wind for the county occurred at Whiteville, with a measured gust of 59 mph. Tropical storm force winds and flooded ground caused widespread tree and power line damage. Trees fell across some roadways to include Madison Street. Rainfall was substantial, with amounts ranging from 8 to 13 inches and as much as 18 inches. Major river flooding occurred in the western portion of the county along the Lumber River, particularly in the town of Fair Bluff where 85 percent of the town was under water resulting in massive evacuations. Highways 701, 74, and 130 all experienced lengthy…

2. Sep 15, 1999Flash Flood$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rains from Hurricane Floyd accumulated around 12 inches in the western part and near 20 inches in the eastern part of the county, causing the worst flooding in county history. High water closed many roads, including newly completed U.S. 74/76, and inundated low-lying areas. Water in downtown Whiteville was 5 feet deep, necessitating rescues by boat. Lake Waccamaw rose to the highest level ever, covering piers and flooding homes. Downstream, 600 were evacuated from Crusoe Island.

3. Sep 5, 1996High Wind, Columbus$18.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The decaying eye of hurricane Fran crossed Eastern Columbus County. Winds gusting near 80 mph and nearly 8 inches of rain caused damage to at least 25% of crops: corn, tobacco (4 millions lbs worth $7.5 million), pecans, sweet potatoes, cotton, peanuts, soybeans. One house was destroyed, 92 homes and 3 businesses had severe damage. One injury, as a fire truck hit a tree across road. Lake Waccamaw was reported as high as during Hurricane Hazel, 1954. Lake Tabor burst it's dam, causing lowland flooding.

4. Jan 26, 2004Ice Storm, Columbus$6.0 million
5. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rushing water was reported across portions of Business U.S.74 and U.S. 701. These flood waters caused extensive damage to adjacent roadways and structures.

6. Sep 7, 2004Tornado$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado touched down near Old Steak Rd and moved north through Evergreen. The tornado caused spotty damage as it continue to Boardman, and then crossed into Robeson county. Three homes/businesses were destroyed, with four damaged.

7. Nov 16, 2006Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado touched down among manufactured homes just north of Old Lake Road and tracked across an area of more substantial homes and businesses along NC Highway 87. There were 13 homes (mobile and brick) destroyed and more than two dozen damaged. Damage was rated as F3 due to construction of structures that were damaged and destroyed - if structures were better constructed the damage may have been rated higher. The wind speed was estimated to be around 200 mph. As the tornado tracked north of NC Highway 87 toward the county line, the tree damage was rated as F1.

8. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Swamp Fox Highway W was impassable in both directions due to flood waters. The flooding impacted adjacent roadways and structures.

9. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding was reported along Feedmill Road. The flooding impacted adjacent roadways and structures.

10. Jul 24, 1998Lightning$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Severe lightning caused cooling system failure at a Coastal Farms Number 1, a feeder pig operation resulting in the death of hundreds of hogs.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°F2 times, most recently Aug 9, 2007

All-time low

−2°FDec 25, 1989

Warmest night

79°FAug 10, 2007

Coldest day

18°FDec 24, 1989

Wettest day

10.38 inSep 16, 1999

Snowiest day

15.0 inFeb 10, 1973

Hottest year

1975mean 64.2°F

Coldest year

1981mean 59.9°F

Wettest year

201672.86 in

Driest year

200728.77 in

Station Whiteville 7 Nw (USC00319357), 90 ft elevation, 10.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1954 to September 30, 2026; 90.3% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00319357.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.