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Swain County, North Carolina
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1974 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
4
Tornado reports
20
Hail reports
31
Floods since 1996
489
All events
1
Deaths
$12.6M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Swain County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 4 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
Broadcast media reported a 53-year-old man was extricated from his vehicle then later died from injuries suffered after a tree fell on his vehicle as he was traveling along Old Number 4/Jess Nations Rd. Other trees were reported down in the area as well.
A large landslide destroyed a 200 foot section of highway 441 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was estimated the road would take months to repair, thus indefinitely shutting down the Park's only paved throroughfare. Seven to 10 inches of rain fell across the North C…
Flooded locations in and near the Cherokee Indian reservation included the Parkwary entrance (US441), the Saunooke Bridge, which connects Big Cove Road to Newfound Gap Road, Meetinghouse Road and Whitewater Drive. Big Cove Road was also flooded in the Piney Grove area along Rabun…
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Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Emergency manager reported a couple of trees blown down in the area around Big Cove Rd.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
County comms reported several trees blown down around Bryson City, including on Fontana Rd.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Utility company reported several trees blown down on power lines and causing outages northeast of Almond.
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Tropical Storm Tropical Storm
Hundreds of trees were blown down, with dozens of trees down on homes, vehicles, and power lines. Frequent gusts up 50 to 60 mph occurred, with occasional gusts of 70-80 mph, especially on higher peaks and ridgetops.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
A stream gauge on the Tuckasegee River in Bryson City indicated flash flooding developed along the stream after 4 to 8 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts fell across the county in around two days. Through mid-morning, impacts were limited to inundation of a couple of cam…
Flood Flood
Although heavy rain ended across Swain County by late morning, flooding continued to steadily worsen along the Tuckasegee River through the morning and early afternoon, as runoff from the very heavy rainfall that fell throughout the basin over about a two-day period continued to …
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Emergency manager reported three trees blown down near Highway 441 and Highway 19.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Emergency manager reported numerous trees blown down across the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian reservation.
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Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
County comms reported numerous trees blown down across Swain County. Some were down across power lines.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Utility company reported trees blown down on power lines in the Bryson City area. Emergency manager reported multiple trees blown down in the town of Cherokee and across the Qualla Boundary. Trees were also blown down on power lines in the Alarka community.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
County comms reported multiple trees blown down on Lands Creek Rd north of Bryson City, with another tree blocking a road just WSW of town.
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Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
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Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians reported around a half dozen trees blown down on reservation land.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
County comms reported scattered trees blown down in an area centered around the intersection of Highways 28 and 74, especially in the Almond community.
Tornado EF1 Tornado
NWS storm survey found the short path of a weak tornado in the Deep Creek area north of Bryson City. The tornado touched down along Lollis Lane just north of Toot Hollow Rd and moved northeast, crossing Mitchell Mountain Rd and Folkestone Rd before lifting just west of Deep Creek…
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Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
County dispatch reported multiple trees and power lines blown down across portions of Swain County.
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Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
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Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 |
| 2022 | 10 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | 14 | 0 |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 12 | 0 |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 |
| 2016 | 13 | 0 |
| 2015 | 13 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 0 |
| 2013 | 20 | 0 |
| 2012 | 15 | 1 |
| 2011 | 18 | 0 |
| 2010 | 24 | 0 |
| 2009 | 16 | 0 |
| 2008 | 21 | 0 |
| 2007 | 20 | 0 |
| 2006 | 18 | 0 |
| 2005 | 15 | 0 |
| 2004 | 21 | 0 |
| 2003 | 30 | 0 |
| 2002 | 26 | 0 |
| 2001 | 20 | 0 |
| 2000 | 24 | 0 |
| 1999 | 18 | 0 |
| 1998 | 11 | 0 |
| 1997 | 12 | 0 |
| 1996 | 23 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 |
| 1976 | 1 | 1 |
| 1974 | 1 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Swain County, measured to its path.
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