High Country Tornado Data
*Article originally published July 28, 2014, updated Thursday, September 26, 2024. Data researched and compiled by Kenneth Reece*
Tornadoes….not frequent in the High Country, but you may be surprised at the number of watches and warnings issued over the years.
Before diving into the tornado history, it's of note that the first ever Tornado Warning for Watauga County occurred on Sunday, October 8, 2017, at 6:29 pm. That warning was specifically for Southeastern Watauga County.
The last Tornado Watch issued for the High Country occurred on Monday, August 7, 2023, before that Monday, October 23, 2017, Wednesday, May 24, 2017, October 14, 2014, and Sunday, July 27, 2014.
A Tornado Warning was issued for Watauga County during the evening of Wednesday, September 25 2024. A series of Warnings were issued for Watauga, Ashe, and Avery on Monday, August 14, and Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Before that was for Ashe & Alleghany on Saturday, July 15, 2023.
There have been seven recorded tornadoes in the immediate area.
1965 – Avery County: A F2 tornado was documented on April 9, 1965, measuring in length .50 miles and 300 yards wide. Property damage was recorded at $25.0K
1996 – Watauga County: A F1 tornado was documented on April 20, 1996, around 1 pm in the Tweetsie Railroad parking lot. Measuring in length .1 mile and 20 yards wide. 1 of the 2 injuries reported was a man that suffered a broken rib after being lifted into the air by the tornado and then dropped. 16 vehicles were damaged and property damage was recorded at $50.0K
1998 – Zionville (Watauga County): A F0 tornado was documented on June 3, 1998, around 7:17 pm, measuring in length 2 miles and 60 yards wide. 3-inch hail was reported along with the high winds. Large trees were reported down in Meat Camp and trees and tree limbs lead to power outages from 3.5 miles west of Zionville to 1 mile south of Todd. The report also says a few barns were destroyed. Property damage was recorded at $20.0K. Numerous trees were toppled throughout Wilkes County too, knocking down some power lines with 3300 people losing power.
2017 – Sunday, October 8 – EF1 tornado in Wilkes and Ashe counties. The tornado touched down as an EF1 near Highway 421 close to Harley, in Wilkes County and traveled close to 7 miles north to Idlewild in southern Ashe County. Most of the damage consisted of snapped trees, with half a dozen structures suffering minor damage, mainly along Summit Road, just south of the Blue Ridge Parkway in northwest Wilkes County. The tornado damage path was at its widest here, which was 300 yards, with most of the damage 150 yards or less. The tornado crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway just southwest of Elderberry Lane then crossed Phillips Gap road, downing large pine trees. The tornado lifted near Idlewild Road at 7 pm after snapping a few tree trunks.
2023 – Tuesday, August 15 – EF1 tornado in Avery County. The tornado tracked through the Flat Springs community in Northern Avery County shortly after midnight, according to the NWS report. Tree damage was observed along Dark Ridge, Joe Parlier, Beech Mountain, Buckeye, and Buckeye Lake Roads.
2023 – Tuesday, August 15 – EF1 tornado in Watauga County. EF1 tornado moved a short distance into western Watauga Co. before lifting. Sporadic uprooted trees were noted in a wooded area between Buckeye Rd. and Seminole Trail, resulting from estimated wind gusts up to 90 mph.
2024 – Wednesday, September 25 – EF1 tornado in Blowing Rock. From the NWS report, “It appears that the tornado touched down near the intersection of Birch Drive and Hill Street and traveled northeast for approximately 0.6 mile before lifting northeast of Chetola Lake Drive. Several softwood and a few hardwood trees were uprooted and snapped along the path of the tornado and a few free standing tents near Bass Lake Drive and Chetola Lake Drive were blown down.”
Wilkes County has recorded 8 tornadoes, with the most recent on Thursday, April 11, 2024, before that was Sunday, October 8, 2017. Caldwell County has recorded 10 tornadoes, with the most recent on Sunday, October 8, 2017 (two warned storms that day), before that January 11, 2012.
A breakdown of the number of Tornado Watches & Warnings per county from January 1, 1986, until April 13, 2024:
Ashe County – 18 watches, 11 warnings
Avery County – 30 watches, 3 warnings (July 27, 2014, April 10, 2021, Tuesday, August 15.)
Watauga County – 18 watches, 4 warnings (Wednesday September 25 2024, Sunday, October 8, 2017, and two on Tuesday, August 15, 2023)
Wilkes County – 26 watches, 23 warnings
Graphic & radar image showing first issued Tornado Warning for Watauga County.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center compiled a map of tornadoes by county from 1952-2010. Watauga, Avery, Wilkes and the neighboring Tennessee counties are in the 10 and under category, Ashe is at 0. Click on any map for a larger image.
Map from ustornadoes.com
