Tornado Risk in Raleigh, NC
Risk Level: Very High — Score 7/10
Live Tornado alert status near Raleigh
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Live tornado map around Raleigh
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 Raleigh's county as Relatively High risk
- Estimated annual loss of $20M from this hazard type
- 16 tornadoes within 50 km since January 2015 (1 rated EF2 or stronger; 2026 figures provisional)
- Occurs roughly 0.41 times per year on average
- Strongest within 50 km: EF2 on May 13, 2019
Peak season: April-June
Last significant event: EF2 tornado on May 13, 2019, closest point 19 km from the city centre (no deaths or injuries recorded)
Highest Risk Cities for Tornados
How Raleigh Compares
Strongest Tornadoes Near Raleigh
16 tornadoes touched down within 50 km of Raleigh between January 2015 and September 30, 2026 (1 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, 17.2-mile path, closest point 19 km from the Raleigh city centre
May 13, 2019 — EF2
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 1.9-mile path, closest point 8 km from the Raleigh city centre
December 10, 2023 — EF1
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 1.5-mile path, closest point 24 km from the Raleigh city centre
August 3, 2024 — EF1
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 1.4-mile path, closest point 46 km from the Raleigh city centre
July 6, 2025 — EF1
No deaths or injuries recorded
EF1 tornado, 1.0-mile path, closest point 47 km from the Raleigh city centre
July 6, 2025 — 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
Raleigh, 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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