Avery County Schools Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Avery County Schools is about the same as North Carolina average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Avery County Schools is lower than North Carolina average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #43
| Avery County Schools | 0.20 |
| 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
| Avery County Schools | 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, #201
| Avery County Schools | 46.33 |
| 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 3,230 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Avery County Schools 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: | 8 | Dense Fog: | 3 | Drought: | 36 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 368 | Hail: | 955 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 62 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 8 | Ice Storm: | 15 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 32 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,496 | Tropical Storm: | 5 | Wildfire: | 5 | Winter Storm: | 38 | Winter Weather: | 31 |
| Other: | 168 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Avery County Schools.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Avery County Schools.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Avery County Schools.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 21 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Avery County Schools.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 6.2 | 1965-04-09 | 2 | 36°11'N / 81°56'W | 0.50 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Avery | |
| 22.2 | 1989-05-05 | 2 | 35°57'N / 81°41'W | 36°01'N / 81°25'W | 15.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Caldwell |
| 27.8 | 1979-05-24 | 2 | 35°45'N / 81°40'W | 0.30 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Burke | |
| 29.8 | 1974-04-04 | 2 | 35°49'N / 81°32'W | 35°52'N / 81°27'W | 5.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Caldwell |
| 33.2 | 1998-05-07 | 2 | 35°37'N / 81°59'W | 35°37'N / 81°59'W | 3.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 482K | 0 | Mcdowell |
| Brief Description: Another supercell which tracked across the mountains spawned a tornado that travelled through a portion of Glenwood. Several homes and mobiles sustained damage or were destroyed. Supercell thunderstorms developed in a highly sheared atmosphere in eastern Tennessee then moved east across the mountains, foothills and western piedmont of North Carolina. These long-lived, cyclic supercells produced a considerable amount of large hail and some damaging winds in the mountains. The first tornado of the day in western North Carolina occurred in Madison county. Numerous reports of hail as large as golf balls were reported from the mountains. In Madison and Yancey counties, hail covered roads. More supercell thunderstorms developed behind the previous ones and followed similar tracks. In northern Buncombe county, the town of Barnardsville had three separate severe storms cross overhead and drop hail on the ground to a depth of 3 inches. Yancey county also had 3 separate storms move across the county that accumulated hail to 6 inches in depth. The hail was still on the ground the next morning. As the supercells moved into the foothills, they began to curve a little to the right, indicative of strong mesocyclonic circulations present. One supercell produced several tornadoes from Alexander county to Davie county. Another storm produced a tornado that tracked from western Caldwell county into south-central Alexander county. A third supercell that emerged out of the mountains in McDowell county produced several tornadoes from the southern part of that county to northern Mecklenburg county. Damage was fairly significant across western North Carolina with numerous homes either damaged or destroyed. Fortunately, no one was killed. However, 2 people were injured as a result of the violent F4 tornado in eastern Caldwell county. One person received minor injuries from a lightning strike in Yancey county later in the evening. The storms continued to reform in eastern Tennessee until very late in the evening and still produced large hail as they crossed the border into the mountain counties of North Carolina, before weakening shortly after midnight.. | |||||||||||
| 35.7 | 1998-05-07 | 4 | 35°52'N / 81°23'W | 35°52'N / 81°19'W | 4.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 2 | 1.1M | 0 | Caldwell |
| Brief Description: A violent, F4 tornado touched down near Dudley Shoals then moved east-southeast cutting a winding path through valleys, to the Alexander county border. The damage path was 100 yards wide on average, but reached a width of 3/4 of a mile at times. One well-constructed home was totally destroyed, other homes were damaged, and many mobile homes sustained damage or were destroyed. Supercell thunderstorms developed in a highly sheared atmosphere in eastern Tennessee then moved east across the mountains, foothills and western piedmont of North Carolina. These long-lived, cyclic supercells produced a considerable amount of large hail and some damaging winds in the mountains. The first tornado of the day in western North Carolina occurred in Madison county. Numerous reports of hail as large as golf balls were reported from the mountains. In Madison and Yancey counties, hail covered roads. More supercell thunderstorms developed behind the previous ones and followed similar tracks. In northern Buncombe county, the town of Barnardsville had three separate severe storms cross overhead and drop hail on the ground to a depth of 3 inches. Yancey county also had 3 separate storms move across the county that accumulated hail to 6 inches in depth. The hail was still on the ground the next morning. As the supercells moved into the foothills, they began to curve a little to the right, indicative of strong mesocyclonic circulations present. One supercell produced several tornadoes from Alexander county to Davie county. Another storm produced a tornado that tracked from western Caldwell county into south-central Alexander county. A third supercell that emerged out of the mountains in McDowell county produced several tornadoes from the southern part of that county to northern Mecklenburg county. Damage was fairly significant across western North Carolina with numerous homes either damaged or destroyed. Fortunately, no one was killed. However, 2 people were injured as a result of the violent F4 tornado in eastern Caldwell county. One person received minor injuries from a lightning strike in Yancey county later in the evening. The storms continued to reform in eastern Tennessee until very late in the evening and still produced large hail as they crossed the border into the mountain counties of North Carolina, before weakening shortly after midnight.. | |||||||||||
| 38.2 | 1962-06-03 | 2 | 36°36'N / 82°12'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington | |||
| 38.6 | 1957-04-08 | 2 | 36°17'N / 82°35'W | 36°19'N / 82°33'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Washington |
| 40.6 | 1951-08-09 | 2 | 35°45'N / 81°20'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Catawba | |
| 42.0 | 1989-05-05 | 4 | 35°35'N / 81°27'W | 35°41'N / 81°25'W | 6.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25.0M | 0 | Catawba |
| 43.0 | 1967-04-22 | 2 | 36°12'N / 82°41'W | 0.20 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Greene | |
| 45.0 | 1989-05-05 | 4 | 35°32'N / 81°29'W | 35°35'N / 81°27'W | 3.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 4 | 19 | 25.0M | 0 | Lincoln |
| 46.0 | 2010-10-26 | 2 | 35°32'N / 81°28'W | 35°34'N / 81°26'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 11 | 1.2M | 0K | Lincoln |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This strong tornado touched down near the intersection of Locust Trail and Tola Houser Lane. Several homes at the beginning of the track received major damage to the roof and exterior wall. One home was shifted off its foundation by nearly 20 feet, with an upstairs room removed. Two vehicles at this location were rolled several yards. The tornado moved northeast across Northbrook III School Rd. Several homes were damaged or destroyed and numerous trees snapped off or uprooted just north of the Reeps Grove Church Rd intersection. The damage path at this point was nearly 200 yards wide. The tornado continued northeast, crossing Macedonia Church Rd, Peeler Rd and Patriot Way, with additional homes as well as barns and a chicken house damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off in this area as well. As the tornado continued east northeast, damage became more intermittent in the area around Palm Tree Church Rd, where only the tops of trees were snapped. The tornado entered into Catawba County in the vicinity of Dansbury Lane. Eleven people were injured, two seriously. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Scattered supercell thunderstorms developed over the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia as strong wind shear and moderate instability overspread the region ahead of a strong cold front. A number of tornadoes were spawned by the storms. Two strong tornadoes affected the western piedmont and foothills of North Carolina. | |||||||||||
| 46.4 | 2005-07-07 | 2 | 35°50'N / 81°10'W | 35°52'N / 81°08'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Alexander |
| Brief Description: This tornado touched down near highway 16 just north of the Catawba County line. Two brick homes and a business received severe roof damage in this area, while a mobile home was completely destroyed. The tornado tracked northeast, damaging the roofs of several homes at a mobile home park along Friendship Church Rd before lifting near the intersection of Millersville Rd and Dairy Rd. Numerous trees were also blown down along the tornado path. | |||||||||||
| 46.5 | 1989-05-05 | 4 | 35°28'N / 81°35'W | 35°32'N / 81°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 30 | 25.0M | 0 | Cleveland |
| 47.4 | 1998-05-07 | 2 | 35°33'N / 81°25'W | 35°33'N / 81°24'W | 2.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 212K | 0 | Lincoln |
| Brief Description: The same supercell that produced the tornado in McDowell county spawned a strong tornado in the Vale and Cat Square area. Four homes were destroyed, 50 homes were damaged, a church roof was partially blown off and numerous trees were downed. Supercell thunderstorms developed in a highly sheared atmosphere in eastern Tennessee then moved east across the mountains, foothills and western piedmont of North Carolina. These long-lived, cyclic supercells produced a considerable amount of large hail and some damaging winds in the mountains. The first tornado of the day in western North Carolina occurred in Madison county. Numerous reports of hail as large as golf balls were reported from the mountains. In Madison and Yancey counties, hail covered roads. More supercell thunderstorms developed behind the previous ones and followed similar tracks. In northern Buncombe county, the town of Barnardsville had three separate severe storms cross overhead and drop hail on the ground to a depth of 3 inches. Yancey county also had 3 separate storms move across the county that accumulated hail to 6 inches in depth. The hail was still on the ground the next morning. As the supercells moved into the foothills, they began to curve a little to the right, indicative of strong mesocyclonic circulations present. One supercell produced several tornadoes from Alexander county to Davie county. Another storm produced a tornado that tracked from western Caldwell county into south-central Alexander county. A third supercell that emerged out of the mountains in McDowell county produced several tornadoes from the southern part of that county to northern Mecklenburg county. Damage was fairly significant across western North Carolina with numerous homes either damaged or destroyed. Fortunately, no one was killed. However, 2 people were injured as a result of the violent F4 tornado in eastern Caldwell county. One person received minor injuries from a lightning strike in Yancey county later in the evening. The storms continued to reform in eastern Tennessee until very late in the evening and still produced large hail as they crossed the border into the mountain counties of North Carolina, before weakening shortly after midnight.. | |||||||||||
| 48.5 | 1975-01-25 | 2 | 36°47'N / 81°46'W | 36°47'N / 81°44'W | 1.30 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington |
| 48.9 | 1967-03-12 | 2 | 36°08'N / 82°55'W | 36°15'N / 82°40'W | 16.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 1 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Greene |
| 49.3 | 1975-05-18 | 2 | 35°23'N / 81°50'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Rutherford | |||
| 49.5 | 1975-01-25 | 2 | 36°47'N / 81°44'W | 36°48'N / 81°42'W | 1.90 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Smyth |
| 49.9 | 1954-08-18 | 2 | 35°40'N / 81°12'W | 35°44'N / 81°09'W | 5.40 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Catawba |
* 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.