Top 20 Windiest Cities in North Carolina

North Carolina has its fair share of wind. After all, Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk wasn’t chosen for the Wright Brothers’ first flight because the weather was calm. That’s shown clearly in our ranking of the windiest cities.

Let’s start at the beginning and look at average wind speed followed by thunderstorm wind speeds.

The Impact of Wind on Foundation Damage

The wind itself doesn’t cause foundation damage directly, but its effects can lead to situations where foundation damage becomes more likely.

Strong winds can severely affect structures in several ways.

So, while wind itself may not directly harm a foundation, its secondary effects can pose serious risks to the structural integrity of the foundation.

Windiest Cities and Towns in North Carolina: Average Wind Speed

We’ve culled the average wind speed information at City-Data to find the top 20 cities in North Carolina for the highest average wind speed. We’ve chosen only those cities with populations of 6,000 or more.

#	City	MPH
1	Kill Devil Hills	10.7
2	Elizabeth City	10.5
3	Morehead City	9.5
4	Washington	9.5
5	Havelock	9.4
6	New Bern	9.4
7	Piney Green	8.7
8	Half Moon	8.7
9	Jacksonville	8.7
10	Myrtle Grove	8.6
11	Kings Grant	8.6
12	Leland	8.6
13	Masonboro	8.6
14	Murraysville	8.6
15	Ogden	8.6
16	Porters Neck	8.6
17	Wilmington	8.6
18	Oak Island	8.6
19	Winterville	8.5
20	Greenville	8.5

Windiest Cities and Towns in North Carolina: Thunderstorm Winds

Average wind speed can tell us a bit about the local conditions, but it’s the thunderstorm winds that really show what can happen with high winds. We’ve reviewed NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information’s Storm Events Database. In the range of Nov. 1, 2019, to Nov. 30, 2020, they identified 92 places affected. Here are the top 20 ranked by recorded wind speed.

#	City	MPH
1	Taylors Bridge, Sampson County	74
2	Haw, Onslow County	70
3	Rockton, Wake County	63
4	Red Springs, Robeson County	61
5	White Oak, Bladen County	61
6	Hayesville, Clay County	60
7	Mountain Park, Surry County	60
8	Ocracoke, Hyde County	60
9	Jonesville, Yadkin County	60
10	China Grove Airport, Rowan County	60
11	Mt. Pleasant Airport, Cabarrus County	60
12	Knotville, Wilkes County	60
13	East Laurinburg, Scotland County	59
14	Waves, Dare County	58
15	Southport, Brunswick County	56
16	Fernside, New Hanover County	56
17	Wrightsboro, New Hanover County	56
18	Barkers Creek, Jackson County	55
19	Saunook, Haywood County	55
20	Etowah, Henderson County	55

NOAA also identified the property damage incurred in the top-ranked Taylors Bridge storm on Jan. 13, 2020, at $250,000. Trees snapped and were uprooted, and the Union Intermediate School’s roof lifted. Plus, the school’s gymnasium outer wall partially collapsed.

Winds in Our Hometowns

We’ve gone deeper into the numbers for the locations in North Carolina where we have offices.

In Raleigh, storm winds reached 50 mph during a thunderstorm on April 13, 2020. Gusts up to 58 mph were reported as trees were uprooted and power lines came down. 

Wilmington caught a particularly strong storm on April 23, 2020, with gusts up to 61 mph. It’s no stranger to hurricane-force winds nearly every year: Hurricane Isaias in 2020, Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Hurricane Florence in 2019, and more.

Winston-Salem caught 50-mph winds on July 23, 2020. Trees were downed and fell on several cars, making for a tough day for those drivers.

Impact on Your Home from Winds and Storms 

The National Weather Service provides a wind estimation scale designed to provide observers with a way to judge wind speed.

Strong winds can find weak spots in trees, power lines, and your home. Shingles can break off in the wind and even your gutters and downspouts can be torn down. Plus, all that flying debris can do further damage to your home’s roof, walls, doors, and windows. Any breach provides a way for rain to enter your home.

We’re hopeful that high winds won’t damage your home’s foundation. But rainwater driven by wind can find its way into your basement or crawl space if there are any cracks or if the water accumulates around your home.

We recommend that you consult the professionals at Tar Heel Basement Systems for a free inspection and repair estimate to identify any issues with your basement or crawl space that need attention in preparation for storms, winds, and heavy rain.

Holly Richards-Purpura

Content Writer

Holly is a Content Writer for Groundworks who has written and edited web content for the foundation services industry for almost 10 years. With a background in journalism, her passion for the written word runs deep. Holly lives in Columbus, OH, with her husband. Along with educating homeowners, she also has a big heart for the Big Apple.