Tornado Risk in Charlotte, NC
Risk Level: Very High — Score 7/10
Live Tornado alert status near Charlotte
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Live tornado map around Charlotte
Shows tornado warnings and events that are active right now, refreshed through the day. When none are active, the map is empty by design.
Key Risk Factors
- FEMA rates Charlotte's county as Relatively High risk
- Estimated annual loss of $24M from this hazard type
- 26 tornadoes within 50 km since January 2015 (2 rated EF2 or stronger; 2026 figures provisional)
- 1 tornado within 50 km in the 12 months to Sep 30, 2026 (2026 figures provisional)
- Occurs roughly 0.28 times per year on average
Peak season: April-June
Last significant event: EF2 tornado on February 6, 2020, closest point 39 km from the city centre (no deaths or injuries recorded)
Highest Risk Cities for Tornados
How Charlotte Compares
Strongest Tornadoes Near Charlotte
26 tornadoes touched down within 50 km of Charlotte between January 2015 and September 30, 2026 (2 rated EF2 or stronger), according to NWS and SPC tornado records. 2026 figures are provisional until SPC publishes its final 2026 tornado file, and September 2026 is preliminary while NWS damage surveys are completed. The 5 strongest are listed below; distances run from the city centre to the closest point of each tornado's path (start to end point).
EF2 tornado, 8.7-mile path, closest point 38 km from the Charlotte city centre
February 6, 2020 — EF2
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF2 tornado, 6.2-mile path, closest point 39 km from the Charlotte city centre
February 6, 2020 — EF2
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 8.2-mile path, closest point 21 km from the Charlotte city centre
May 8, 2024 — EF1
2 injuries
EF1 tornado, 36.2-mile path, closest point 41 km from the Charlotte city centre
August 7, 2023 — EF1
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 21.3-mile path, closest point 42 km from the Charlotte city centre
May 8, 2024 — EF1
No deaths or injuries recorded
Tornado Preparedness Tips
- 1.Identify a safe room or storm shelter in your home or building
- 2.Practice tornado drills — get low, cover your head, stay away from windows
- 3.Have a NOAA Weather Radio for tornado watch and warning alerts
- 4.Secure outdoor objects that could become projectiles in high winds
- 5.Know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning
Related Pages
How this data is built
Charlotte, NC tornado risk combines Historical Event Intelligence with authoritative hazard modeling from the Geospatial Intelligence Layers catalog. Live tornado monitoring is available through the Event Intelligence API and the DisasterAWARE Platform.
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The data behind this page
Every score and event here comes from DisasterAWARE's hazard database — available as downloadable historical datasets and a real-time API.
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