Rowan County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Dec 4, 2002Ice Storm, Rowan$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snow began during the early afternoon across the North Carolina foothills and northwest piedmont, and had accumulated to 3 to 5 inches by late evening. A transition to sleet and then freezing rain occurred during the late evening, and ice accumulated to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. The result was widespread power outages, which lasted for a week or more in some areas.

2. Mar 28, 2010Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado touched down along highway 29 in Spencer, just east of the town center, where the facade and roof of a shopping center were damaged. The tornado traveled northeast along Salisbury Ave, causing mainly minor roof damage to numerous homes, and blowing the awning off a business. The brick chimney was blown off a home and two trees fell on another home in this area. The tornado continued northeast to the Yadkin Ave/Cain St area, where numerous trees were blown down, one on a home, another on an apartment building, and one on an automobile. Numerous homes received minor roof damage as the tornado continued northeast, eventually crossing N Salisbury Ave again. The most…

3. Jan 14, 2005Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Two metal industrial buildings sustained major damage and a barn was flattened. A home next to the barn also received minor roof damage. Several trees were snapped or uprooted.

4. Jul 21, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant microburst damage occurred in the China Grove area, with major structural damage occurring to two buildings at a business on North Main St. The roof was blown off one building and a brick warehouse behind the business collapsed.

5. Jun 26, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   County comms reported multiple trees blown down across the west and north side of downtown Salisbury, with trees on homes on Main St, Craige St, and Ellis St. The Ellis St house was destroyed. Additional trees were down in Spencer.

6. Aug 1, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Spotters and utility company reported multiple trees blown down east through south of Spencer, including on Cranford Rd and Long Ferry Rd, where a tree was down on a house. Emergency manager reported numerous trees down on the south side of High Rock Lake, including at Saint Matthews Church Rd and Lakeshore Dr. Several trees were down on houses and manufactured homes in this area, with some receiving extensive damage.

7. Aug 18, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe straight-line winds hit the Salisbury-Rowan County Airport, flipping 3 planes and blowing hangars apart and into the nearby woods. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down as well.

8. May 29, 1996Tornado$200,000
9. Apr 10, 2003Flood, Rowan$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding developed during the afternoon along many creeks and streams across the county, including along Grants Creek. Some mobile homes and other structures were flooded, and a nursing home and a mobile home park required evacuation near Kannapolis. A motorist required rescue from his vehicle near Gold Hill.

10. Apr 13, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Media reported multiple trees blown down on the Rowan County side of Kannapolis, with trees down on a couple of homes. One house on N Juniper Ave was destroyed.

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°F7 times, most recently Aug 21, 1983

All-time low

−11°FJan 28, 1940

Warmest night

86°FJul 6, 1900

Coldest day

10°FFeb 13, 1899

Wettest day

5.90 inAug 27, 2008

Snowiest day

19.0 inMar 2, 1927

Hottest year

1957mean 62.3°F

Coldest year

1963mean 57.9°F

Wettest year

192970.69 in

Driest year

201619.82 in

Snowiest season

28.4 in1935-36

Station Salisbury (USC00317615), 700 ft elevation, 4.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 18, 2026; 96.5% 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 USC00317615.
• 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.