Gaston County, NC Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by ice storm. 553 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $59.27M
- Relatively Moderate nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 553
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 313
- 0.4% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 1
- 5 tropical storms or stronger since 1882
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 84.9 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 29.1 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively Moderate
Score 51.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $44.29B · Agriculture value exposed: $29.83M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $57.44M
Risk by hazard
- Ice stormVery High$2.74M/yr expected annual loss, about 2.1 events a year
- Strong windRelatively High$3.37M/yr expected annual loss, about 2.7 events a year
- TornadoRelatively High$8.39M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5 years
- LightningRelatively High$1.36M/yr expected annual loss, about 52 events a year
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$3.25M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 532 years
- HurricaneRelatively Low$653K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 14 years
- HailRelatively Low$562K/yr expected annual loss, about 5.1 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively Low$915K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.1 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Low$1.55M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
- Winter weatherRelatively Low$92.83K/yr expected annual loss, about 5.4 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$2,403/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
- WildfireVery Low$46.43K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8,083 years
- DroughtRelatively Low$62.71K/yr expected annual loss, about 27 events a year
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 313 of 85,407 (0.4%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 410
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 188 (46%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 105
- Claims paid since 1978
- $1.34M
Flood claims paid per year
- Hurricane Helene$344K · 10 claims
- Hurricane Fran$211K · 5 claims
- Hurricane Bertha$8,115 · 1 claim
- Hurricane Matthew$6,794 · 1 claim
- Hurricane Debby$6,473 · 1 claim
- Hurricane Floyd$3,966 · 2 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 553 events, 7 deaths, $39.24M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind211 · 4 deaths
- Hail125
- Drought35
- Winter Weather34
- Lightning19
- Flood16 · 1 death
- Tornado15
- Flash Flood15
- Heavy Snow14
- High Wind14
Events per year
19 tornadoes on record (EF0 3, EF1 4, EF2 1, F0 3, F1 8).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Thunderstorm Wind40 kt wind03/24/2012
South Gastonia, Gaston County
2 deaths, 1 injured
What happened
A partially rotted tree fell on and crushed a vehicle on Stagecoach Rd, killing two occupants and seriously injuring a third.
- Ice Storm12/04/2002
Gaston
$18M damage
What happened
Freezing rain began over the extreme southern mountains of North Carolina during the early afternoon on the 4th, and had spread into the southwest piedmont by mid afternoon. Resultant damage due to ice accumulation began during the mid-to-late afternoon. The intensity of the freezing rain increased after midnight, and by sunrise on the 5th, devastating ice accumulations of 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches were observed. The hardest hit area was Charlotte metro. Hundreds of thousands lost power, and the outages lasted for as long as 2 weeks in some areas.
- Thunderstorm Wind60 kt wind05/08/2024
Mountian View, Gaston County
1 death, 1 injured, $20K damage
What happened
County comms reported widespread straight-line wind damage to trees and power lines from the Kings Mountain and Bessemer City areas, across Gastonia to McAdenville. A 62-year-old woman was killed and another person injured when a tree fell on a parked vehicle at South New Hope Rd and Dixon Rd in Gastonia. The screen of an outdoor theater was destroyed in McAdenville.
- Strong Wind40 kt wind01/25/2010
Gaston
1 death, $10K damage
What happened
A combination of gusty winds and saturated ground from the previous night���s heavy rainfall caused a tree to fell on Lower Dallas Highway, crushing an automobile and killing the 72-year-old woman who was driving.
- Flood06/09/2019
Spencer Mtn, Gaston County
1 death, $10K damage
What happened
A stream gauge on the South Fork Catawba River at Lowell exceeded its established flood stage after heavy rain fell throughout the Catawba River basin on the 8th and 9th. The stream eventually reached moderate flood stage on the 10th. Multiple roads flooded along the river in Cramerton and McAdenville. Media reported a 14-year-old boy drowned when he went swimming in the swollen river in the area around the Stanley-Spencer Mountain Rd bridge during the evening of the 10th.
- Strong Wind40 kt wind09/16/2018
Gaston
1 death, $10K damage
What happened
Media reported a tree fell on a mobile home on Moses Ct in Dallas on the morning of the 16th, killing a 3-month-old boy inside the home.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/29/2026
Stanley, Gaston County
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind07/10/2026
South Gastonia, Gaston County
$10K damage
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind05/28/2026
Gastonia, Gaston County
- Drought05/01/2026
Gaston
- Drought04/01/2026
Gaston
- Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind03/16/2026
Belmont South, Gaston County
- Cold/Wind Chill02/01/2026
Gaston
- Heavy Snow01/31/2026
Gaston
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Gaston County, with the wind when it passed
- Hurricane Hugo (1989)09/10/1989 · Landfall: VI, PR, SC · 918 mbCategory 298 mph nearby
- Hurricane Gracie (1959)09/20/1959 · Landfall: SC · 951 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1915)07/31/1915 · Landfall: FL · 990 mbTropical storm46 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1886)06/17/1886 · Landfall: FLTropical storm46 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1882)09/02/1882 · Landfall: FL · 949 mbTropical storm46 mph nearby
Drinking water
142 community water systems serve about 191,732 people. Violations since 2021.
17 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 17 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Two Rivers UtilitiesServes 96,714 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Mount Holly, City ofServes 19,200 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Belmont, City ofServes 17,477 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Dallas, Town ofServes 8,212 · Surface water · Local government3 health violations+11 monitoring or reporting
- Cherryville, City ofServes 6,353 · Surface water · Local government1 health violation+2 monitoring or reporting
- Stanley, Town ofServes 5,750 · Purchased surface water · Local government1 health violation+4 monitoring or reporting
- Bessemer City, City ofServes 5,730 · Surface water · Local government7 health violations+11 monitoring or reporting
- Ranlo, Town ofServes 4,511 · Purchased surface water · Local government1 health violation+3 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Gastonia, 2.4 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 91°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 31°F in Jan. About 44.0 inches of rain falls in a typical year, with 1.2 inches of snow.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°F | 31°F | 3.84 in | 0.9 in |
| Feb | 57°F | 34°F | 3.27 in | - |
| Mar | 65°F | 40°F | 3.55 in | - |
| Apr | 74°F | 50°F | 3.51 in | - |
| May | 81°F | 58°F | 3.54 in | - |
| Jun | 87°F | 67°F | 4.29 in | - |
| Jul | 91°F | 70°F | 3.55 in | - |
| Aug | 89°F | 69°F | 4.55 in | - |
| Sep | 84°F | 63°F | 3.69 in | - |
| Oct | 74°F | 51°F | 3.39 in | - |
| Nov | 64°F | 40°F | 3.02 in | - |
| Dec | 56°F | 35°F | 3.75 in | 0.3 in |
| Year | 62°F average | 44.0 in | 1.2 in | |
Pollution sites
4 Superfund sites and 29 toxic release facilities in Gaston County
Superfund sites
- Davis Park Road TCEFinalGastonia
- Hemphill Road TCEFinalGastonia
- Jadco-Hughes FacilityFinalBelmont
- North Belmont PCEFinalNorth Belmont
Toxic release facilities
- American & Efird LLC Plant 05 & 1554,477 lbs released, Mount Holly
- Clariant Corp-Mount Holly West Plant33,022 lbs released, Mount Holly
- Firestone Fibers & Textiles Co19,383 lbs released, Kings Mountain
- Firestone Fibers & Textiles Co18,673 lbs released, Gastonia
- Duke Energy Carolinas LLC - Allen Steam Station13,885 lbs released, Belmont
- Livent USA Corp5,760 lbs released, Bessemer City
- Lubrizol3,972 lbs released, Gastonia
- Parker Hannifin - Gpd2,132 lbs released, Kings Mountain
- Arrochem Inc1,600 lbs released, Mount Holly
- Urethane Systems USA LLC770 lbs released, Gastonia
Total: 155,351 lbs in 2024, 107,898 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk20 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Gaston County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Gaston County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $59.27M a year. The highest-rated hazards are ice storm (very high), strong wind (relatively high), tornado (relatively high).
- What storms are most common in Gaston County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 553 storm events affecting Gaston County, most often thunderstorm wind (211), hail (125), drought (35).
- How many tornadoes have hit Gaston County?
- 19 tornadoes have been recorded in Gaston County since 1950.
- How many homes in Gaston County have flood insurance?
- 313 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Gaston County, covering about 0.4% of homes. The program has paid $1.34M on 105 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Gaston County?
- At Gastonia, average highs reach 91°F in Jul and lows fall to 31°F in Jan, with 44.0 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.