Swain County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Swain County is about the same as North Carolina average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Swain County is much lower than North Carolina average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #17
| Swain County | 0.23 |
| 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
| Swain 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, #94
| Swain County | 43.47 |
| 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 15,338 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Swain 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: | 47 | Dense Fog: | 9 | Drought: | 120 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,329 | Hail: | 4,074 | Heat: | 31 | Heavy Snow: | 166 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 10 | Ice Storm: | 46 | Landslide: | 2 | Strong Wind: | 125 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 8,412 | Tropical Storm: | 18 | Wildfire: | 8 | Winter Storm: | 106 | Winter Weather: | 102 |
| Other: | 733 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Swain County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 4 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Swain County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 32.0 | 1973-11-30 | 4.7 | 3 | 35.8 | -83.96 |
| 41.7 | 1984-02-14 | 3.6 | 10 | 36.13 | -83.74 |
| 38.9 | 1969-07-13 | 3.5 | N/A | 36.1 | -83.7 |
| 44.7 | 1982-09-24 | 3.5 | 8 | 35.68 | -84.25 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 15 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Swain County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 19.6 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°20'N / 83°49'W | 35°23'N / 83°35'W | 13.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Swain |
| 24.2 | 1976-06-28 | 2 | 35°19'N / 83°10'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 29.3 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°47'N / 83°55'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Blount | |
| 29.8 | 1976-02-18 | 2 | 35°57'N / 83°13'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Cocke | |
| 30.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°16'N / 83°59'W | 35°20'N / 83°49'W | 10.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 11 | 250K | 0 | Graham |
| 37.6 | 2010-04-25 | 2 | 35°37'N / 84°08'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0K | Blount | |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The NWS storm survey determined a tornado tracked from Loudon County for one-half of a mile along Thompson Bridge road. It was classified as an EF2 tornado with winds estimated at 110 mph with a path width of 100 yards. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong low pressure system along with an associated cold front tracked across the area triggering thunderstorms during the evening and overnight hours. A tornado touched down in eastern Monroe County, then tracked across southern Loudon County and finally dissipated in western Blount County. Another weak tornado touched down briefly in Polk County. | |||||||||||
| 38.1 | 1963-03-11 | 2 | 36°00'N / 83°07'W | 36°02'N / 83°01'W | 6.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Cocke |
| 39.5 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°40'N / 84°10'W | 35°40'N / 84°09'W | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Loudon | ||
| 39.9 | 1965-04-15 | 2 | 35°52'N / 84°05'W | 35°57'N / 84°00'W | 7.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Knox |
| 41.8 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 34°58'N / 83°23'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rabun | |
| 45.5 | 1975-01-10 | 2 | 35°09'N / 82°50'W | 35°12'N / 82°48'W | 4.30 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Transylvania |
| 46.5 | 1953-05-02 | 2 | 36°02'N / 84°04'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Anderson | |
| 49.4 | 1993-02-21 | 3 | 36°01'N / 84°15'W | 36°06'N / 83°58'W | 10.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 3 | 5.0M | 0 | Knox |
| Brief Description: The tornado started near Oak Ridge, moved through the Bull Run Steam Plant and went through the town of Claxton. Fifty homes were damaged and six mobile homes were destroyed. Two business were destroyed and another 10 were damaged including a weapons plant. Twelve electric transmission towers were knocked down. | |||||||||||
| 49.5 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 34°58'N / 84°13'W | 35°09'N / 83°57'W | 18.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 4 | 26 | 25.0M | 0 | Cherokee |
| 49.8 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°31'N / 84°21'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe | |
* 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.