Chowan County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot North Carolina Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Chowan County is about the same as North Carolina average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Chowan County is higher than North Carolina average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #84
| Chowan County | 0.00 |
| North Carolina | 0.18 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Chowan County | 0.0000 |
| North Carolina | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #26
| Chowan County | 139.50 |
| North Carolina | 115.21 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 6,359 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Chowan County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 29 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 70 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 538 | Hail: | 1,704 | Heat: | 5 | Heavy Snow: | 99 |
| High Surf: | 2 | Hurricane: | 31 | Ice Storm: | 30 | Landslide: | 1 | Strong Wind: | 163 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 3,011 | Tropical Storm: | 20 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 131 | Winter Weather: | 134 |
| Other: | 387 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Chowan County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Chowan County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Chowan County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 46 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Chowan County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.4 | 1984-03-28 | 2 | 36°04'N / 76°35'W | 36°05'N / 76°32'W | 4.00 Miles | 177 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Chowan |
| 5.4 | 1984-03-28 | 2 | 36°05'N / 76°32'W | 36°06'N / 76°30'W | 2.00 Miles | 177 Yards | 1 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Perquimans |
| 5.9 | 1992-11-23 | 3 | 36°12'N / 76°41'W | 36°13'N / 76°35'W | 9.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Bertie |
| 10.6 | 2008-05-09 | 2 | 36°14'N / 76°45'W | 36°16'N / 76°41'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Hertford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado tracked into Hertford county from Bertie county. Roofs were blown off of two homes, and numerous trees were downed. The tornado then tracked into Chowan county. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds and two tornadoes across portions of northeast North Carolina. | |||||||||||
| 11.8 | 1992-11-23 | 3 | 36°13'N / 76°35'W | 36°18'N / 76°21'W | 13.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Chowan |
| 11.8 | 2008-05-09 | 2 | 36°12'N / 76°49'W | 36°14'N / 76°45'W | 4.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Bertie |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado touched down on Buncomb Road about three miles west of Colerain in northeast Bertie county. Barns were damaged on Harrell Road, and a barn was destroyed on Glovers Cross Road. Trees were downed on Route 45 just south of the Hertford/Bertie county line. The tornado then tracked into Hertford county. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds and two tornadoes across portions of northeast North Carolina. | |||||||||||
| 16.9 | 1964-10-04 | 2 | 35°52'N / 77°04'W | 35°54'N / 76°06'W | 54.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Martin |
| 18.3 | 1973-09-14 | 2 | 35°50'N / 76°45'W | 35°54'N / 76°34'W | 11.20 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington |
| 19.0 | 1992-11-23 | 3 | 36°01'N / 77°12'W | 36°12'N / 76°41'W | 31.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bertie |
| 20.0 | 1984-03-28 | 3 | 36°22'N / 76°42'W | 36°28'N / 76°30'W | 14.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 2 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Gates |
| 20.6 | 1988-11-17 | 2 | 35°53'N / 76°24'W | 35°54'N / 76°21'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 21.0 | 1984-03-28 | 2 | 36°16'N / 76°58'W | 36°18'N / 76°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 527 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25.0M | 0 | Hertford |
| 21.3 | 1978-06-03 | 2 | 36°00'N / 76°57'W | 0.80 Mile | 83 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bertie | |
| 21.4 | 1983-05-16 | 2 | 35°50'N / 76°47'W | 35°50'N / 76°40'W | 6.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 21.7 | 1992-11-23 | 3 | 36°18'N / 76°21'W | 36°20'N / 76°14'W | 12.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 21 | 2.5M | 0 | Pasquotank |
| 21.7 | 1983-03-18 | 2 | 35°55'N / 76°50'W | 35°50'N / 76°50'W | 3.00 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Nash |
| 22.3 | 1988-11-17 | 2 | 35°54'N / 76°21'W | 35°56'N / 76°15'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Tyrrell |
| 22.9 | 1984-03-28 | 2 | 36°14'N / 77°00'W | 36°16'N / 76°58'W | 3.00 Miles | 527 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25.0M | 0 | Bertie |
| 22.9 | 1983-05-16 | 2 | 35°50'N / 76°48'W | 35°50'N / 76°47'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Tyrrell |
| 24.6 | 1988-11-05 | 2 | 36°18'N / 76°13'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Pasquotank | |
| 24.8 | 1983-05-16 | 2 | 36°20'N / 76°58'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Hertford | |
| 25.0 | 1983-05-16 | 2 | 36°25'N / 76°20'W | 0.50 Mile | 17 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Pasquotank | |
| 25.0 | 1999-10-17 | 2 | 36°13'N / 76°10'W | 36°13'N / 76°10'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 150K | 0 | Pasquotank |
| Brief Description: A tornado associated with Hurricane Irene touched down one mile north of Weeksville. This tornado touched down near the intersection of Toxey Road and N.C. Route 34. The tornado moved due north for about two tenths (0.2) mile with a path width of 50 yards. Two trailers were totally destroyed. One trailer was flipped over and another sustained some damage. A modular home sustained significant damage with several vehicles in the front yard turned 90 degrees. An automobile was thrown up into a tree and wrapped partially around a tree. A cinderblock building sustained a wall failure and a partial collapse of the roof. Clay roofing tiles from this building were thrown 100 yards from the building. Several other structures sustained minor damage. Two trees, a pine and willow tree were completely stripped of all branches. In addition, a refrigerator was carried the entire path length of the tornado and deposited in the front yard of the modular home. | |||||||||||
| 25.1 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 36°08'N / 77°11'W | 36°12'N / 76°55'W | 15.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 1.0M | 0K | Bertie |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado first touched down about two miles north-northwest of Lewiston Woodville. The tornado path then continued east-northeast across the county producing EF0 to EF2 damage. The tornado path ended as EF0 damage about one mile south of Powellsville. Confirmed EF1 tornado damage about two miles north-northwest of Lewiston Woodville consisted of numerous trees downed on Route 308, and several trailer and brick homes damaged with some mobile homes destroyed near Piney Woods Road. Confirmed EF2 tornado damage about three miles north-northeast of Lewiston Woodville and five miles southwest of Connaritsa consisted of several mobile homes destroyed and a church demolished on Connaritsa Road. Confirmed EF1 tornado damage occurred again about four miles southwest of Powellsville. The damage was along Hexlena Road, with numerous trees downed or snapped off and extensive damage to a few mobile homes. The tornado damage ended about one mile south of Powellsville. Confirmed EF0 tornado damage occurred along Sally Freeman Road, where a porch attached to a mobile home, was demolished. Also, several trees were snapped off. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Scattered severe thunderstorms produced damaging winds, large hail and one tornado across portions of northeast North Carolina. | |||||||||||
| 25.4 | 1967-07-16 | 2 | 36°18'N / 76°12'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Perquimans | |
| 26.5 | 1963-07-14 | 2 | 36°20'N / 76°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pasquotank | |
| 29.2 | 1967-07-04 | 3 | 36°33'N / 76°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Accomack | |
| 29.3 | 1973-05-20 | 2 | 36°22'N / 76°12'W | 36°23'N / 76°09'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Pasquotank |
| 30.7 | 1984-03-28 | 3 | 36°08'N / 77°12'W | 36°12'N / 77°06'W | 6.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 6 | 19 | 2.5M | 0 | Bertie |
| 31.9 | 1981-03-30 | 2 | 36°32'N / 76°56'W | 36°35'N / 76°41'W | 14.20 Miles | 83 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Suffolk (c) |
| 33.6 | 1957-11-08 | 3 | 35°51'N / 77°18'W | 36°00'N / 77°00'W | 19.70 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Bertie |
| 34.8 | 1981-03-30 | 2 | 36°30'N / 77°04'W | 36°32'N / 76°56'W | 7.70 Miles | 83 Yards | 1 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Hertford |
| 36.2 | 1952-05-10 | 2 | 36°06'N / 77°15'W | 0 | 6 | 0K | 0 | Bertie | |||
| 36.9 | 1992-11-23 | 3 | 35°58'N / 77°17'W | 36°01'N / 77°12'W | 11.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Martin |
| 37.7 | 2002-10-11 | 2 | 35°35'N / 76°40'W | 35°35'N / 76°40'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.0M | 0 | Beaufort |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado touched down near Pantego in the Swamp Road area. The tornado destroyed one house, a mobile home as well as a hog farm. Most of the dollar damage occurred to the farm with the destruction of hog houses and heavy equipment. | |||||||||||
| 40.3 | 1975-03-14 | 2 | 35°30'N / 77°00'W | 35°39'N / 76°40'W | 21.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 20 | 2.5M | 0 | Beaufort |
| 41.4 | 1963-05-17 | 2 | 35°42'N / 77°00'W | 35°36'N / 77°06'W | 8.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Beaufort |
| 44.0 | 1989-03-30 | 2 | 36°22'N / 77°28'W | 36°29'N / 77°08'W | 22.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 11 | 2.5M | 0 | Northampton |
| 45.7 | 1988-11-28 | 2 | 36°44'N / 76°57'W | 36°44'N / 76°55'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Southampton |
| 45.8 | 1988-11-28 | 2 | 36°44'N / 76°55'W | 36°48'N / 76°44'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Isle Of Wight |
| 45.9 | 1973-04-27 | 2 | 35°28'N / 76°42'W | 0.50 Mile | 123 Yards | 1 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Beaufort | |
| 46.0 | 2008-04-28 | 3 | 36°42'N / 76°41'W | 36°53'N / 76°24'W | 16.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 200 | 30.0M | 0K | Suffolk (c) |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down with damage first noted about 2 miles northeast of Lummis. The tornado crossed Route 58, downing trees as it moved northeast. The tornado strengthened just south of the intersection of Route 10 AND Route 58, where it damaged several homes and an elementary school as well as downing numerous trees. The intense tornado crossed Route 58 again and then Route 10 before hitting the Freedom Plaza shopping center where it destroyed a strip mall and tossed around numerous cars. One car was impaled into a building adjacent to the strip mall. Thereafter, the tornado moved into 2 subdivisions east and northeast of Obici Hospital. Many homes were damaged with at least a dozen completely destroyed. The tornado then continued into Driver where it damaged a number of homes and businesses and downed numeroud trees. The tornado then appeared to lift just north of Driver, although amateur video and pictures suggested that the tornado maintained close contact with the ground as it tracked northeast across northern portions of Portsmouth to the Norfolk Naval Air Station. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced numerous tornadoes across central and eastern Virginia. | |||||||||||
| 46.9 | 1996-10-08 | 2 | 35°29'N / 76°52'W | 35°29'N / 76°52'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0 | Beaufort |
| Brief Description: Trailer totally demolished and several homes damaged on Highway 92. | |||||||||||
| 47.1 | 1955-06-11 | 2 | 35°46'N / 77°31'W | 35°53'N / 77°12'W | 19.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pitt |
| 47.2 | 1988-11-28 | 2 | 36°30'N / 77°19'W | 36°33'N / 77°16'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Northampton |
| 47.2 | 1952-05-20 | 2 | 35°28'N / 76°23'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Hyde | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.