Dare County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Dare County: 1.
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.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

Other tide gauges here: Oregon Inlet Marina (record 8 days, 2019).

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 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.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 17, 2003Hurricane (Typhoon), Eastern Dare$347 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Isabel made landfall early in the afternoon on September 18th as a category two hurricane across Core Banks in extreme eastern Carteret county. Isabel moved north northwest near 20 mph across eastern North Carolina during the afternoon. Areas mainly near and east of the storm center experienced significant wind and storm surge effects. Major ocean overwash and beach erosion occurred along the North Carolina Outer Banks where waves up to 20 feet accompanied a 6 to 8 foot storm surge. Almost 350 million dollars in damage occurred in Dare county alone where several thousand homes and businesses, several piers, and sections of Highway 12 were damaged or washed away. Eastern…

2. Aug 26, 2011Storm Surge/Tide, Eastern Dare$40.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind gusts from 63 to 88 mph resulted in extensive structural damage. Highest surge was 7 to 10 feet on the sound-side from Buxton to Rodanthe. Highest ocean-side surge of 9.5 feet was recorded at Hatteras Village. The storm surge resulted in extensive damage to structures along the coast along with many dune breaches and damage to Highway 12.

3. Feb 3, 1998Winter Storm, Eastern Dare$22.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense coastal low moved northeast along the immediate coastline producing strong winds and heavy rain across the region. Seas of 14 to 16 feet ate away at the beaches from Topsail Island to the Outer Banks. In Nags Head alone 18 houses were condemned and along the 11-mile stretch of shoreline an average of 45 feet of beach washed away. Three piers lost pilings and planks and one house fell into the ocean. Damage was estimated at $21.8 million. On the Bogue Banks 15 to 20 feet of dunes washed away destroying beach access walkways. Dune lines were breached in North Topsail threatening a stretch of condominiums. The storm brought 3-5 inches of rain further aggravating already…

4. Oct 28, 2012Storm Surge/Tide, Eastern Dare$13.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Maximum wind gusts around 70 mph on Outer Banks Dare County. A 3 to 5 foot surge occurred both ocean-side and sound-side. Highest sound-side Surge, 5 feet, occurred from Rodanthe to Hatteras. Large breaking waves on top of the surge resulted in moderate to major beach erosion and over-wash along the coast from Duck to Hatteras. A large section of Highway 12 north of Rodanthe was closed due to extensive Damage to the road, caused by wave action and ocean over-wash. Storm total rainfall from seven to eight inches only compounded the surge problems. Thirteen million dollars in damages were estimated in the county related to storm surge.

5. Sep 1, 1999Tropical Storm, Eastern Dare$12.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   On the evening of Tuesday, August 31st old Hurricane Dennis was downgraded to a Tropical Storm. By 0500 EDT Wednesday, September 1st Tropical Storm Dennis was located about 120 miles east of Cape Hatteras. The movement was nearly stationary with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. By 1700 EDT Thursday, September 2nd the storm began moving slowly south with a position near 95 miles east southeast of Cape Hatteras. This trend continued until 1700 EDT Friday, September 3rd. Tropical Storm Dennis finally begin drifting, slowly west northwest. Landfall occurred on Saturday, September 4th around 1700 along the Core Banks just north of Cape Lookout. The storm then continued very slowly…

6. Aug 26, 2011Hurricane (Typhoon), Eastern Dare$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Across Eastern Dare County...maximum wind gusts from 63 to 88 mph were recorded resulting in numerous trees and power-lines down with extensive power outages and structural damage. Highest surge was 7 to 10 feet on the sound-side from Buxton to Rodanthe. Highest ocean-side surge of 9.5 feet was recorded at Hatteras Village. Surge resulted in extensive damage, flooding of structures, and caused many dune breaches and damage to Highway 12. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for all visitors and residents on the 24th and 25th.

7. Aug 26, 1998Hurricane (Typhoon), Eastern Dare$6.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Bonnie, a minimal Catagory III Hurricane approached the coast of North Carolina on August 26th. The slow moving hurricane initially crossed Cape Fear during the late afternoon on the 26th, then pivoted northeast along the North Carolina coast during the evening. With part of the circulation center on land, the storm weakened to Catagory I storm in the early morning hours of the 27th before making landfall near the Onslow/Pender county line. The storm then continued to move slowly northeast at speeds of 10 mph or less. Bonnie was downgraded to a Tropical Storm during the afternoon of the 27th but later was reclassified as a Hurricane as she moved off Kitty Hawk late in…

8. Nov 12, 2009Coastal Flood, Eastern Dare$5.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant ocean over-wash and coastal flooding developed over the northern Outer Banks during the early morning hours of November 12th and continued through the early moring hours of November 14th. Areas from Buxton north to Duck had several episodes of coastal flooding, mainly during the high tide cycle. Overall 4 homes were destroyed, 61 had major damage and 465 had minor damage. Highway 12 was severely flooded and destoyed near Rodanthe due to the ocean over-wash. Damage from the coastal flooding was estimated to be 5.8 million dollars.

9. Sep 2, 2016Tropical Storm, Eastern Dare$5.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical Storm Hermine produced significant impacts across Outer Banks Dare county. Strong north winds developed during the morning and early afternoon of September 3rd as Hermine moved northeast of the region. Winds of 60 to 70 mph were common over Hatteras Island with a peak gust of 84 mph recorded at the Duck Pier at 947 am est on September 3rd. These strong winds led to structural damage to several homes and businesses. These strong winds also pushed water from the Pamlico sound onshore leading to moderate to major sound-side storm surge of 2 to 4 feet above ground level. This storm surge flooded many homes and businesses with significant damage to some. The highest surge…

10. Aug 26, 2011Hurricane (Typhoon), Western Dare$5.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Across Western Dare County...winds gusted above hurricane force resulting in numerous trees and power-lines down with extensive power outages along with structural and crop damage.

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

101°F3 times, most recently Jul 29, 2011

All-time low

−2°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

86°FAug 15, 2016

Coldest day

18°FDec 25, 1983

Wettest day

7.07 inOct 29, 2012

Snowiest day

10.0 inFeb 6, 1980

Hottest year

2019mean 63.9°F

Coldest year

2014mean 60.5°F

Wettest year

199660.93 in

Driest year

200127.89 in

Station Manteo Airport (USW00013766), 13 ft elevation, 1.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1945 to October 23, 2026; 88.8% 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 USW00013766.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, 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.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• 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.