Hoke County

Population 56,939 (2025) 390 sq mi

39 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 50 miles of Hoke County since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the strongest was Hazel in 1954 (Category 2).

Hazard fingerprint for Hoke County Tornado: 36th percentile. Tropical: 81th percentile. Wildfire: 24th percentile. Flood: 47th percentile. Hail & wind: 48th percentile. Heat: 25th percentile. Cold: 9th percentile. Winter: 25th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 195011
  • Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger81
  • Wildfire burn scars since 19842

At a glance

The record for Hoke County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Tropical cyclones within 50 mi

39

39th of 100 in North Carolina

6 at hurricane strength since 1851

Details

Flood insurance claims

39

79th of 100 in North Carolina

$616,000 paid since 1985

Details

Tornadoes since 1950

11

59th of 100 in North Carolina

Fewer than the typical North Carolina county, which has had 14

Details

Acres burned since 1984

1,237

40th of 100 in North Carolina

2 large fires; the largest was Unnamed, 2009

Details

Strongest tornado

EF3

April 16, 2011, 52.9 mile path

Strongest tropical cyclone

Cat. 2

Hurricane Hazel, 1954, 37.6 miles away

Federal disaster declarations

20

Most recent: Severe Winter Storm, 2026

Details

Record high

107°F

July 22, 1932

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 6.9 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

April 16, 2011

EF3, 52.9 mile path

800 yards wide; 2 killed along the whole path.

Most recent

Thursday, May 21, 2020

EF1, 0.2 mile path

6 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1 1980s: 3 3 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 3 3 2010s: 1 1 2020s: 1 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 0 F: 1 M: 1 A: 1 M: 4 4 J: 0 J: 0 A: 1 S: 2 O: 1 N: 0 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Hoke County since 1950
May 21, 2020EF10.220000
Apr 16, 2011EF352.98001762
Sep 8, 2004F00.55000
Sep 7, 2004F00.52500
Aug 29, 2004F01.05000
May 19, 1995F16.05010
Oct 23, 1990F00.57300
May 19, 1988F00.45000
May 19, 1986F219.010050
Feb 11, 1981F212.484701
Mar 24, 1975F111.03300
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hoke 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.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

39 passed within 50 miles since 1851; 6 at hurricane strength.

Strongest within 50 miles

October 15, 1954

Hazel, Category 2

37.6 miles at closest approach, winds near 108 mph.

Most recent

August 31, 2023

Idalia, Tropical storm

93.6 miles at closest approach.

Tropical cyclones within 50 miles by decade 50s: 5 5 60s: 1 70s: 2 80s: 5 90s: 5 00s: 3 10s: 1 20s: 2 30s: 1 40s: 2 50s: 3 60s: 0 70s: 2 80s: 1 90s: 1 00s: 1 10s: 2 20s: 2 50s60s70s80s90s00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s00s10s20s
Storms within 50 miles, by decade. Records before about 1900 miss storms that never reached land or ships.

Every storm within 100 miles

Tropical cyclones within 100 miles
Idalia202393.6Tropical storm58Category 4
Ian20226.9Post-tropical43Category 5
Elsa20212.8Tropical storm49Category 1
Claudette20210.0Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Isaias202050.9Category 177Category 1
Nestor20190.0Post-tropical46Tropical storm
Michael201842.6Tropical storm53Category 5
Florence201868.3Tropical storm69Category 4
Matthew201691.7Category 181Category 5
Hermine201666.8Tropical storm60Category 1
Andrea20139.9Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Beryl201276.9Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Hanna200839.4Tropical storm59Category 1
Barry200790.3Post-tropical46Tropical storm
Ernesto200664.6Tropical storm54Category 1
Alberto20065.3Post-tropical40Tropical storm
Charley200461.7Tropical storm69Category 4
Floyd199989.1Category 298Category 4
Earl199824.4Post-tropical58Category 2
Bonnie199885.0Category 2109Category 3
Josephine199652.4Post-tropical52Tropical storm
Fran199622.5Category 175Category 3
Bertha199678.7Category 190Category 3
Allison199551.0Post-tropical44Category 1
Hugo198988.9Category 186Category 5
Kate198572.5Tropical storm51Category 3
Bob198555.3Tropical storm48Category 1
Diana198439.1Tropical storm52Category 4
Dennis198189.3Tropical storm60Category 1
David197958.6Tropical storm49Category 5
Agnes197231.9Tropical storm40Category 1
Alma19700.0Tropical storm44Category 1
Unnamed19650.0Post-tropical40Tropical storm
Isbell196481.9Post-tropical40Category 3
Dora196472.7Post-tropical69Category 4
Unnamed196190.1Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Donna196099.3Category 2104Category 4
Brenda196069.0Tropical storm63Tropical storm
Unnamed195696.6Post-tropical55Tropical storm
Flossy195644.6Post-tropical52Category 1
Diane195537.3Tropical storm63Category 2
Hazel195437.6Category 2108Category 4
Able195268.2Tropical storm47Category 2
Unnamed195227.5Tropical storm44Tropical storm
Unnamed194727.5Post-tropical40Tropical storm
Unnamed194670.2Tropical storm52Category 1
Unnamed19458.6Tropical storm55Category 4
Unnamed19440.0Post-tropical53Category 4
Unnamed194447.5Tropical storm60Category 1
Unnamed19350.0Tropical storm54Category 5
Unnamed19299.7Post-tropical58Category 4
Unnamed192840.0Tropical storm69Category 5
Unnamed192773.8Tropical storm39Tropical storm
Unnamed192438.3Post-tropical67Category 1
Unnamed192474.6Tropical storm45Category 1
Unnamed19200.0Tropical storm39Category 1
Unnamed191652.0Tropical storm43Tropical storm
Unnamed191691.3Tropical storm61Category 3
Unnamed191634.7Tropical storm40Tropical storm
Unnamed191584.4Tropical storm43Category 1
Unnamed19120.9Post-tropical40Tropical storm
Unnamed191092.6Tropical storm68Category 4
Unnamed190786.2Post-tropical56Tropical storm
Unnamed190693.3Tropical storm66Category 1
Unnamed19040.0Tropical storm68Category 1
Unnamed19029.7Tropical storm40Tropical storm
Unnamed190184.5Tropical storm40Category 1
Unnamed190124.9Tropical storm40Category 1
Unnamed189914.7Category 183Category 2
Unnamed18966.6Category 183Category 3
Unnamed189448.1Tropical storm69Category 3
Unnamed189468.3Tropical storm71Category 3
Unnamed189324.9Category 192Category 3
Unnamed18935.7Tropical storm44Category 4
Unnamed189363.7Category 175Category 3
Unnamed189357.7Tropical storm58Category 1
Unnamed188935.9Tropical storm47Category 2
Unnamed188887.5Tropical storm67Category 2
Unnamed18889.0Tropical storm40Tropical storm
Unnamed18865.3Tropical storm46Category 2
Unnamed188660.8Tropical storm40Category 2
Unnamed188521.8Tropical storm46Tropical storm
Unnamed188567.7Category 190Category 2
Unnamed188340.9Tropical storm61Category 3
Unnamed188254.9Tropical storm46Category 3
Unnamed188170.8Category 184Category 2
Unnamed187831.2Tropical storm63Category 2
Unnamed18770.0Post-tropical58Category 3
Unnamed187686.3Category 190Category 3
Unnamed187439.1Category 175Category 1
Unnamed187283.2Tropical storm58Category 1
Unnamed18672.7Tropical storm46Category 1
Unnamed186198.1Category 181Category 1
Unnamed185946.9Tropical storm48Category 1
Unnamed185789.8Category 298Category 2
Unnamed185641.8Tropical storm58Category 3
Unnamed18540.0Tropical storm52Category 3
Unnamed185245.7Tropical storm58Category 2
Unnamed185279.4Tropical storm46Category 3
Unnamed185121.9Tropical storm46Category 3
  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.

Wildfire and smoke

1,237 acres burned in 2 large fires since 1984, equal to 0.5% of the land.

Largest

March 30, 2009

Unnamed Fire, 685 acres

685 acres inside Hoke County.

Most recent

March 30, 2009

Unnamed Fire

685 acres in total.

Acres burned since 1984, cumulative 2009: 1,237 1,237 acres 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Running total of acres burned inside the county (line) and each year’s acres (bars).

Every large fire

Large wildfires since 1984
Unnamed2009685685
Unnamed2009551552
  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

Smokiest year

2023: 40 days

Heavy smoke on 3 days in 2025, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

9.2 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

8 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 29 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 4 2012: 4 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 1 2016: 0 2017: 1 2018: 2 2019: 2 2020: 2 2021: 17 2022: 11 2023: 40 40 2024: 9 2025: 8 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  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.

Floods and flood insurance

39 federal flood insurance claims since 1985, with $616,000 paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year 2016: 12 12 2018: 12 2016
Claims per year since 1985. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Most claims in one year

2016: 12 claims

$334,000 paid.

2nd most

2018: 12 claims

$248,000 paid.

Claims by ZIP code

Flood insurance claims by ZIP code
2837629$334,000

Flood events since 1996

  • Flash Flood24
  • Flood3
  • Heavy Rain2

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

Most severe crest

September 17, 2018

Flat Creek near Iverness, 9.36 ft

2.36 feet above the 7.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.

Most recent moderate or major crest

September 17, 2018

Flat Creek near Iverness, 9.36 ft

Major flooding.

Highest river crests above flood stage
Sep 17, 2018Flat Creek near Iverness9.36+2.36Major
Oct 8, 2016Flat Creek near Iverness8.63+1.63Moderate
Apr 1, 1973Flat Creek near Iverness7.30+0.30Minor
Jul 24, 1997Flat Creek near Iverness5.69−1.31Below flood stage
Sep 17, 2018Rockfish Creek near Raeford10.32−4.68Below flood stage
Sep 7, 1996Rockfish Creek near Raeford8.29−6.71Below flood stage
Jul 25, 1997Rockfish Creek near Raeford8.15−6.85Below flood stage

River gauges

River gauges and their highest listed crests
Flat Creek near Iverness7.09.36 ftSep 17, 20181
Rockfish Creek near Raeford15.010.32 ftSep 17, 20180
  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.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 108 of 1,581 months since 1895 (7%); the longest spell lasted 17 months.

108

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

48

Months in extreme drought

7%

Share of all months, severe or worse

Lowest reading

September 2002

−5.94, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

17 months

November 2021 to March 2023.

Latest month

September 2026

−5.63, extreme drought

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 0 1900: 0 1901: 0 1902: 0 1903: 0 1904: 0 1905: 0 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 0 1911: 6 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 1 1915: 0 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 0 1920: 0 1921: 1 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 0 1925: 3 1926: 4 1927: 5 1928: 0 1929: 0 1930: 0 1931: 0 1932: 1 1933: 3 1934: 2 1935: 0 1936: 0 1937: 0 1938: 0 1939: 0 1940: 1 1941: 2 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 0 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 0 1951: 3 1952: 1 1953: 1 1954: 1 1955: 0 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 0 1964: 0 1965: 0 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 2 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 7 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 5 1987: 0 1988: 0 1989: 0 1990: 1 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 3 1999: 3 2000: 0 2001: 3 2002: 9 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 0 2007: 5 2008: 5 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 4 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 0 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 2 2022: 12 12 2023: 3 2024: 0 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  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.

Earthquakes

7 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1980; none reached magnitude 4.

0

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

2

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

0

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

0

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

September 25, 2006

Magnitude 3.7

7 km W of Rowland, North Carolina; 20.7 miles away, 3.1 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

September 25, 2006

Magnitude 3.7

7 km W of Rowland, North Carolina; 20.7 miles away.

  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.

Severe weather and other events

299 events in the National Weather Service record, 248 of them since 1996.

27

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

0

Hail, 2 inches or larger

105

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

37

Winter weather events since 1996

4

Heat events since 1996

2

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

May 1, 1960

1.75 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

May 16, 2010

81 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Lightning401May 29, 2016

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$3.1 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rainfall of 9 to 12 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Numerous roads were closed due to flooding. Numerous homes and businesses were flooded as well. Flooding damaged approximately 433 structures throughout the county, resulting in $3.1 million in property damage.

  2. Sep 29, 2016Flash Flood$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Dam on a lake adjacent to McLaughlin Lake failed, dumping water into McLaughlin Lake which over topped it's dam and flooded surrounding roads.

  3. Sep 13, 2018Tropical Storm, Hoke$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Frequent wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph resulted in numerous trees down across Hoke County, including on homes, cars, power lines and damage to structures. Numerous customers lost power in Hoke County as a result of the tropical storm force winds.

  4. Oct 29, 2020Strong Wind, Hoke$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Frequent wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph resulted in scattered to numerous trees and power lines down across Hoke County, including some on homes. Numerous customers lost power in Hoke County as a result of the strong winds.

  5. Sep 30, 2022Tropical Storm, Hoke$750,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Frequent wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph resulted in scattered to numerous trees and power lines down across Hoke County, including some on homes. Numerous customers lost power in Hoke County as a result of the tropical storm force wind gusts.

  6. Sep 17, 2018Flood$575,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Torrential rainfall of 10 to 15 inches caused widespread flash flooding across the county. Additional rainfall upstream resulted in major flooding along the Flat Creek near Vass. Flooding damaged approximately 36 structures throughout the county, resulting in $575 thousand in property damage. Crop damage was at least $30 million. Numerous streets and roads were reported flooded.

  7. Oct 8, 2016High Wind, Hoke$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Frequent wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph resulted in numerous trees down across Hoke County, including on homes, cars, power lines and damage to structures. Numerous customers lost power in Hoke County as a result of the high winds.

  8. Sep 5, 2019Tropical Storm, Hoke$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Frequent wind gusts of 35 to 55 mph resulted in scattered to numerous trees and power lines down across Hoke County, including some on homes. Numerous customers lost power in Hoke County as a result of the tropical storm force winds.

  9. May 16, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Microburst wind damage was observed as far south as Johnson Mill Road and Adcox|Road, just south of Highway 401 and as far north as Plank Road near the Fort Bragg|Military Reservation. The most significant structural damage occurred in the Willow|Trace Mobile Home Park where 44 mobile home out of 50 suffered damage. Four mobile homes were destroyed. A dozen of automobiles within the mobile home park sustained damage from fallen trees and debris. Quarter size hail was also reported to have also caused damage to the homes. One person was known to have been transported to the hospital with a possible back injury and chest pains. ||Outside of Willow Trace Mobile Home Park, 2 trees…

  10. Sep 6, 2008Flash Flood$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Law enforcement reported flooding in the Raeford Green Apartments. Water was up to three feet deep in several buildings. Hobson Road and Highway 401 were also flooded and inpassable.

  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.

Weather records

From Fayetteville (pwc), 18.2 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1899.

All-time high
107°FJul 22, 1932
All-time low
−5°FFeb 14, 1899
Warmest night
84°F2 times, most recently Jun 22, 1928
Coldest day
17°FFeb 13, 1899
Wettest day
8.13 inOct 9, 2016
Snowiest day
24.0 inMar 2, 1927
Hottest year
1942mean 65.3°F
Coldest year
1963mean 57.9°F
Wettest year
193668.70 in
Driest year
200731.79 in
Snowiest season
28.0 in1926-27
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Fayetteville (pwc) 32°F 54° 31° 3.3 Jan 58° 34° 3.0 Feb 65° 40° 3.3 Mar 74° 49° 3.3 Apr 81° 58° 3.5 May 87° 67° 4.2 Jun 90° 71° 5.7 Jul 88° 70° 5.3 Aug 83° 64° 4.9 Sep 74° 51° 2.9 Oct 65° 40° 3.0 Nov 58° 35° 3.5 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Days reaching 95°F per year 1976: 9 1977: 30 1978: 13 1979: 11 1980: 35 35 1981: 25 1982: 2 1983: 30 1984: 5 1985: 6 1986: 26 1987: 26 1988: 20 1989: 12 1990: 18 1991: 13 1992: 16 1993: 30 1994: 0 1995: 13 1996: 9 1997: 13 1998: 17 1999: 25 2001: 6 2002: 21 2003: 1 2004: 8 2005: 8 2006: 11 2009: 4 2010: 30 2012: 13 2013: 2 2014: 16 2015: 17 2017: 7 2018: 13 2019: 31 2020: 7 2021: 2 2022: 20 2023: 8 2024: 11 2025: 13 19761986199620092021
Days reaching 95°F each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 12.5.
Snowfall by winter 1960: 1.0 in 1962: 2.1 in 1964: 5.2 in 1965: 4.5 in 1966: 3.0 in 1967: 3.9 in 1968: 1.3 in 1970: 4.3 in 1971: 4.0 in 1972: 13.5 in 13.5 1973: 4.0 in 1974: 0.0 in 1975: 0.0 in 1976: 0.0 in 1977: 1.0 in 1980: 0.0 in 1981: 0.0 in 1982: 5.0 in 1983: 0.0 in 1985: 0.0 in 1987: 0.0 in 1988: 0.0 in 1989: 0.0 in 1990: 0.0 in 1991: 0.0 in 1992: 0.0 in 1993: 0.0 in 1994: 0.0 in 1995: 0.0 in 1996: 0.0 in 1997: 0.0 in 1998: 0.0 in 1999: 0.0 in 2001: 5.5 in 2002: 0.0 in 2003: 0.0 in 2004: 1.0 in 2005: 0.0 in 2006: 0.0 in 2007: 0.0 in 2008: 5.4 in 2009: 4.0 in 19601973198719972008
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

Median first snow

January 19

Earliest: November 27, 1938

Median last snow

February 7

Latest: March 26, 1972

35 of 73 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Fayetteville (pwc) (USC00313017), 96 ft elevation, 18.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1899 to October 27, 2026; 93.8% 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.

Federal disaster declarations

20 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storm, January 24, 2026.

Federal disaster declarations
Jan 24, 2026Winter StormSevere Winter StormEmergencyEM-3637-NC
Sep 26, 2024Tropical StormHurricane HeleneEmergencyEM-3617-NC
Aug 6, 2024Tropical StormTropical Storm DebbyEmergencyEM-3608-NC
Oct 1, 2022HurricaneHurricane IanEmergencyEM-3586-NC
Aug 2, 2020HurricaneHurricane IsaiasEmergencyEM-3534-NC
Mar 25, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4487-NC
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3471-NC
Oct 4, 2019HurricaneHurricane DorianMajor disasterDR-4465-NC
Sep 3, 2019HurricaneHurricane DorianEmergencyEM-3423-NC
Sep 14, 2018HurricaneHurricane FlorenceMajor disasterDR-4393-NC
Sep 10, 2018HurricaneHurricane FlorenceEmergencyEM-3401-NC
Oct 10, 2016HurricaneHurricane MatthewMajor disasterDR-4285-NC
Oct 7, 2016HurricaneHurricane MatthewEmergencyEM-3380-NC
Apr 19, 2011Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1969-NC
Sep 5, 2005HurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3222-NC
Sep 10, 2004HurricaneTropical Storm FrancesMajor disasterDR-1546-NC
Jan 31, 2000Severe StormSevere Winter StormMajor disasterDR-1312-NC
Sep 16, 1999HurricaneHurricane Floyd Major Disaster DeclarationsMajor disasterDR-1292-NC
Sep 15, 1999HurricaneHurricane Floyd Emergency DeclarationsEmergencyEM-3146-NC
Sep 6, 1996HurricaneHurricane FranMajor disasterDR-1134-NC

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.

How this compares

Where Hoke County stands among 100 counties in North Carolina and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19501159 / 1002,153 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger121 / 1001,281 / 3,143
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi3939 / 100250 / 3,143
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi634 / 100293 / 3,143
Wildfire acres since 19841,23740 / 1001,264 / 3,143
Flood insurance claims3979 / 1001,764 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$616,00079 / 1001,697 / 3,143
Disaster declarations2083 / 1001,524 / 3,143
Flood events since 19962983 / 1002,147 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 199616177 / 1002,284 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 19963783 / 1002,287 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$9.6 million85 / 1001,981 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage156 / 1001,446 / 3,143
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189510836 / 1002,117 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years9.260 / 1002,760 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19000——
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 19730——

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Cumberland County25502,636827
Moore County16360154
Richmond County4321,34125
Robeson County50572,6541,430
Scotland County11369,65420

Sources and vintage

Every number on this page comes from these public records.

  • 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 USC00313017.
  • 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.