Madison County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Madison County: 0.
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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NC GS (111), NASA (5).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 27, 2024Flood$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Although heavy rain ended across Madison County by early afternoon, flooding continued to steadily worsen along the French Broad River and some tributaries throughout the afternoon and evening. The river crested at 20 feet in Marshall, and just over 20 feet at Hot Springs, which were the highest crests at those gauges since the Great Flood of 1916. Numerous structures in the Marshall area and multiple structures in Hot Springs were inundated and damaged. Otherwise, numerous roads remained inundated, with some damaged throughout the watershed.

2. Sep 27, 2024Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Stream gauges indicated devastating flash flooding developed along the French Broad River and some of its tributaries, including Ivy River in Madison County during the morning. A stream gauge on the French Broad at Marshall exceeded major flood stage during this time, with water inundating most structures in downtown Marshall. Some smaller structures, including a manufactured home and some camping vehicles were swept away, especially along Rollins Rd just upstream of Marshall. Numerous roads along the river and its tributaries were inundated. Four people died in Madison County, mostly along the French Broad, but one person died after being swept into the Ivy River.

3. Sep 16, 2004Flood, Madison$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   After hours of heavy rain, gradual rises along creeks and streams culminated in flooding across the county by midnight. The first streams to flood were Spring Creek in Hot Springs and Big Pine Creek west of Marshall. By sunrise on the 17th, virtually every stream in the county had flooded. Flooding was quite severe, as most stream levels exceeded those of recent memory. Southwest of Marshall, 4 feet of water from Sandymush Creek entered the basement of a home located 100 feet north and 10 feet above the upper banks of the creek. Long-time residents described the flooding as the worst in at least 25 years.

4. Jul 6, 1999Flash Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One thunderstorm early in the afternoon became severe and an automated gage at Panthertown measured a wind gust to 58 mph. A cluster of severe thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging wind from near Gastonia through and around the city of Charlotte during the early evening. Numerous reports of dime size hail were received. Trees were downed across the northern and central parts of Charlotte, while other trees were uprooted and snapped on the south side. Downed trees in Weddington caused some property damage, but a dollar amount was not known at the time of the writing.A stationary thunderstorm over the extreme northern part of Madison county affected the Laurel area and…

5. Jul 3, 2013Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous roads were reportedly closed across the county due to flooding, including Highway 70/25. Some roads were heavily damaged by flooding and landslides.

6. Sep 27, 2024Tropical Storm, Madison$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tens of thousands of trees were blown down, with dozens of trees down on homes, vehicles, and power lines. Frequent gusts up to 60 mph occurred, with occasional gusts of 70-80 mph on exposed high elevation ridgetops.

7. Aug 4, 2001Flash Flood$1.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The most severe of the recent flash floods to affect Madison County during the summer season developed rapidly Saturday morning. Flooding was swift and extensive, destroying highway bridges, private bridges and sweeping away structures and causing a large amount of property and crop damage. A state of emergency was declared for Madison County as a result of the flash flooding, the sixth major flash flood in Madison County in two months. Flooding lingered into the afternoon, damaging or destroying businesses, churches, homes and outside wells.

8. Sep 7, 2004Flood, Madison$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Although rainfall over Madison County was much less than what occurred to the east and south, major flooding developed along the French Broad River, as runoff from the extremely heavy rainfall near the headwaters worked its way downstream. The river reached its highest level in over 25 years, resulting in significant damage to roads, bridges, and some private property.

9. Jul 29, 2001Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A significant flash flood occurred in Madison County on the 29th, the fourth major flash flood to affect Madison County in six weeks. Numerous roads were flooded, closing major commuter highways 208 and 212. Many private bridges were washed away. Damage to the tobacco crop alone was estimated at $400,000.Flooding began after nearly four hours of moderate to heavy rain trained over the rugged, hilly terrain of northern Madison County. The first report was of a mudslide between Marshall and Mars Hill, then Laurel Creek, especially susceptible to flooding during the summer of 2001, overflowed its banks once again, taking 7 or 8 bridges with it and washing a mobile home away.Big…

10. Apr 16, 2007High Wind, Madison$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    After an intense, but relatively brief high wind event affected the mountains and foothills on the evening of the 15th, another widespread damaging high wind event developed during the day of the 16th. However, this particular event included much of the piedmont. Thousands of trees fell across the area, resulting in widespread power outages. Numerous trees fell on roads, homes, and vehicles. The Blue Ridge mountains and the foothills received the brunt of the strongest winds. In Highlands, NC, two homes were heavily damaged by fallen trees, while approximately 100 homes received minor to moderate damage. A tree fell on and severely damaged a home in Otto, NC. Two businesses…

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

102°F4 times, most recently Jul 29, 1952

All-time low

−18°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

75°FJun 20, 1905

Coldest day

6°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.05 inAug 30, 1940

Snowiest day

15.0 inMar 3, 1942

Hottest year

1921mean 60.0°F

Coldest year

1963mean 52.6°F

Wettest year

201357.52 in

Driest year

194124.56 in

Snowiest season

57.8 in2009-10

Station Marshall (USC00315356), 1,920 ft elevation, 3.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1898 to October 27, 2026; 99.9% 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 USC00315356.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.