Catawba County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Catawba County, NC right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 801 alerts that included Catawba County, roughly 80 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (214 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on July 28, 2026. 20 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Catawba County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Alexander County, Iredell County, Caldwell County, Lincoln County.
Catawba County alert history
Alert events that included Catawba County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 214 | 29 | September 21, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 107 | 4 | August 27, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 90 | 6 | October 11, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 39 | 4 | November 9, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 39 | 0 | November 11, 2025 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 39 | 4 | September 5, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 35 | 1 | July 23, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 34 | 1 | January 26, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 31 | 1 | February 7, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 30 | 0 | November 11, 2025 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 28 | 0 | September 27, 2024 |
| Tornado Warning | 22 | 2 | July 28, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 20 | 0 | December 29, 2024 |
| Flood Warning | 15 | 2 | October 11, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 12 | 1 | January 30, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 11 | 2 | January 30, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 11 | 3 | July 4, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 9 | 1 | March 28, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 5 | 2 | February 1, 2026 |
| Tropical Storm Warning | 4 | 0 | September 25, 2024 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 3 | 0 | March 1, 2025 |
| High Wind Warning | 1 | 0 | February 24, 2016 |
| Tropical Storm Watch | 1 | 0 | October 28, 2020 |
| High Wind Watch | 1 | 0 | April 1, 2023 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 0 | 1 | January 31, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 0 | 1 | January 31, 2026 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 0 | 1 | January 24, 2026 |
Tornado history in Catawba County
20 tornadoes have been recorded in Catawba County since 1950, killing 5 people and injuring 59. That ranks 30 of 100 counties in North Carolina. The most recent was on January 9, 2024 (rated EF1).
Strongest tornadoes in Catawba County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | Cleveland County | 14 mi | 800 yd | 4 | 52 |
| August 18, 1954 | F2 | Catawba County | 5.4 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 23, 2017 | EF2 | Burke County | 4.9 mi | 1,300 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 26, 2010 | EF2 | Catawba County | 2.5 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 16, 1994 | F2 | Catawba County | 1.5 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 1 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 9, 2024 | EF1 | Catawba County | 9 mi | 250 yd | 1 | 4 |
| August 7, 2023 | EF1 | Catawba County | 36.2 mi | 550 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 23, 2017 | EF2 | Burke County | 4.9 mi | 1,300 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 23, 2017 | EF1 | Cleveland County | 12.3 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF0 | Catawba County | 2.7 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Catawba County
- Population: 167,054 (2024 estimate)
- State: North Carolina
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 037035 (how to use it)