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Storm tracker · Winston-Salem, NC

Winston-Salem storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history

Live watches and warnings for Winston-Salem, NC, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.

Live alerts for Winston-Salem, NC

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    Storm outlook, next 48 hours

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    Thunderstorm forecastHigh instabilityModerateLow

    Severe weather in Winston-Salem by the numbers

    17.4severe-weather days a year (avg 2016–2025)
    3.1hail days a year
    56storm reports in the last 12 months
    2.00″biggest hail since 2016 (Mar 16, 2025)
    6tornado reports since 2016 · strongest EF2

    Winston-Salem sits in one of the most active severe-weather areas in the country: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 734 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 91 hail reports, 637 damaging-wind reports and 6 tornado reports. On average that is 17.4 days a year with at least one report.

    Storm season here peaks in May, July, August, when 58% of all reports were filed.

    In the last 12 months there were 0 hail reports, 56 wind reports and 0 tornado reports around Winston-Salem.

    Latest storm reports near Winston-Salem

    DateReportWhere
    Sep 21, 2026Damaging wind2 mi NE · Forsyth Co.
    Sep 18, 2026Damaging wind16 mi E · Guilford Co.
    Sep 5, 2026Damaging wind9 mi SW · Forsyth Co.
    Aug 28, 2026Damaging wind18 mi SW · Davie Co.
    Aug 22, 2026Damaging wind8 mi W · Forsyth Co.
    Aug 17, 2026Damaging wind9 mi W · Forsyth Co.
    Aug 16, 2026Damaging wind18 mi SE · Davidson Co.
    Aug 15, 2026Damaging wind21 mi NW · Stokes Co.
    Aug 10, 2026Damaging wind19 mi S · Davidson Co.
    Aug 9, 2026Damaging wind25 mi E · Guilford Co.

    One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.

    Storm reports by year

    026538010616: 25 hail16: 51 damaging wind16: 2 tornado1617: 4 hail17: 53 damaging wind17: 2 tornado1718: 2 hail18: 53 damaging wind1819: 8 hail19: 80 damaging wind1920: 44 damaging wind2021: 10 hail21: 41 damaging wind21: 1 tornado2122: 16 hail22: 63 damaging wind22: 1 tornado2223: 17 hail23: 89 damaging wind2324: 1 hail24: 41 damaging wind2425: 8 hail25: 67 damaging wind2526: 55 damaging wind26
    HailDamaging windTornado

    Storm season in Winston-Salem

    04386128171Jan: 12JanFeb: 18FebMar: 28MarApr: 66AprMay: 123MayJun: 119JunJul: 171JulAug: 129AugSep: 46SepOct: 18OctNov: 0NovDec: 4Dec

    All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.

    Hail in Winston-Salem

    Winston-Salem averages 3.1 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 2.00 inches — about the size of a hen egg — reported 24 miles from the city centre on Mar 16, 2025. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.

    Tornadoes near Winston-Salem

    There have been 6 tornado reports within 25 miles of Winston-Salem since 2016; the strongest was rated EF2 (May 24, 2017, 22 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.

    Storm alerts for Winston-Salem on your iPhone

    Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.

    Download on the App Store

    Storm trackers near Winston-Salem

    Greensboro, NC25 mi · 17.5 storm days/yrCharlotte, NC69 mi · 19.7 storm days/yrDurham, NC76 mi · 17.9 storm days/yrRaleigh, NC93 mi · 19.7 storm days/yrVirginia Beach, VA243 mi · 9.3 storm days/yrArlington, VA258 mi · 23.7 storm days/yrAll of North Carolinalive warnings & state storm stats

    Questions about storms in Winston-Salem

    Does Winston-Salem get a lot of severe storms?

    Winston-Salem averages 17.4 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.

    When is storm season in Winston-Salem?

    Most severe-weather reports around Winston-Salem come in May, July, August.

    What is the biggest hail recorded near Winston-Salem?

    2.00 inches (hen egg size) on Mar 16, 2025, 24 miles from the city centre.

    Have tornadoes hit near Winston-Salem?

    Yes — 6 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF2 on May 24, 2017.

    How do I get storm alerts for Winston-Salem?

    The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for Winston-Salem, NC. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.

    How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of Winston-Salem, NC. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Oct 4, 2026.