Southampton County

Every recorded tornado

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

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. Aug 4, 2020Tornado$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the NWS Wakefield office found a path of storm damage consistent with an EF2 tornado. The damage began near the Southampton Power Station off General Thomas Highway and ended 4 miles north of Sebrell near Farmers Bridge Road. The tornado first touched down in a wooded area and caused numerous trees to be snapped about 6 miles southeast of Courtland. The tornado then moved northeast and into Courtland, where it caused damage to numerous homes and businesses along Highway 58, including lifting the second story roof off a hotel building. Several vehicles were also overturned. The tornado then continued to travel northeast where more trees were snapped or…

2. Oct 8, 2016Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused an extended period of significant flooding across much of the county. Numerous roads were impassable or closed for several days, and many homes and businesses were impacted.

3. Oct 7, 2006Flash Flood$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   HWY 460 closed from Ivor to the Sussex county line. High water also resulted in significant crop damage.

4. Aug 4, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An area of intense thunderstorm straight line winds began south of the Southampton County Fairgrounds and snapped several trees. The winds also picked up large tree limbs and blew them up to 100 feet away and caused extensive damage to a couple of wooden outbuildings in the fairgrounds. The outbuilding roofs completely collapsed and the walls sustained significant damage. The path of straight line winds continued to the north and blew open an overhead door of a metal building on the north side of the fairgrounds. The winds then snapped a few more trees near the VDOT Franklin Yard, and along the south side of New Market Road. Peak wind gusts at the fairgrounds were estimated at…

5. Aug 27, 2011Tropical Storm, Southampton$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tropical storm force winds knocked down several trees and power lines, as well as caused some structural damage. In addition, heavy rains contributed to significant crop damage. Storm total rainfall generally ranged from six to eleven inches.

6. Sep 29, 2020Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the NWS Wakefield office found a path of storm damage consistent with an EF0 tornado. Peak winds were estimated to be 75 mph. The tornado touched down one half mile west of Black Creek Road in Southampton County. The tornado briefly tracked to the east northeast before lifting just northwest of Burdette. The tornado snapped and uprooted several trees along Black Creek Road. In addition, three outbuildings were damaged and a large tree fell on a home causing significant damage.

7. Jan 4, 2023Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado touched down on Whitehead Road, just west of Rogers Drive. The tornado then tracked northeast crossing Tann Road before dissipating near Hall Road. A small silo was damaged along Tann Road. In addition, siding was damaged on a home near Hall Road. Tree damage was also noted along the storm track.

8. Oct 27, 2010Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF0 tornado destroyed a carport, overturned a shed and downed several trees. Debris was scattered toward the northeast about 100 yards.

9. Apr 16, 2011Tornado$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A brief tornado touched down in southwest Southampton county. Numerous trees were snapped off and a few structures sustained damage. The most significant damage was to a farm equipment shelter and a roof on a home.

10. Jul 10, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Straight line wind damage occurred in Southampton county. The first significant damage occurred west and southwest of Adams Grove where numerous trees and power lines were downed, and numerous trees were snapped off. Additional significant damage to trees and power lines occurred in the Capron area where a few homes sustained damage from falling trees. Some additional damage to trees and power lines occurred in the Drewryville and Courtland areas then eastward into the Franklin area.

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°FJul 11, 1993

All-time low

−7°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

81°FJul 25, 1999

Coldest day

12°FJan 6, 2018

Wettest day

9.56 inOct 9, 2016

Snowiest day

10.0 inDec 26, 2010

Hottest year

2024mean 61.5°F

Coldest year

2014mean 57.1°F

Wettest year

197973.44 in

Driest year

200730.82 in

Snowiest season

23.0 in1979-80

Station Murfreesboro (USC00315996), 100 ft elevation, 18.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1973 to October 27, 2026; 93.4% 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 USC00315996.
• 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.