County storm facts
Storm prep for Mecklenburg County residents
Mecklenburg County has had 2,883 flood insurance claims since 1978, 11 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1989, and 0 mapped wildfires that started here since 2021.
Sources:
Local data from official sources, updated weekly. This snapshot: September 29, 2026. Alerts load live from the National Weather Service when you open this page.
Active alerts now
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Source: National Weather Service alerts.
Forecasts for this county (NWS county zone NCC119) come from:
Source: National Weather Service (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Help right now
Live from FEMA and the Red Cross shelter list. Check your address on the home page for what’s nearest you.
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FEMA assistance
Open shelters
County emergency office
Mecklenburg County is inland, off the hurricane evacuation zone map for its state, which covers the coast. Rain from a hurricane still floods inland places. Your county emergency office announces evacuations, shelters and alert sign-ups.
Recent burn areas
The national wildfire perimeter record lists no fires that started in Mecklenburg County since January 1, 2021.
That record only includes fires with a mapped perimeter, so it isn’t a measure of fire risk.
Source: NIFC WFIGS Interagency Fire Perimeters (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Flood history
2,883 flood insurance claims have been filed in Mecklenburg County since 1978. 442 of them were for floods from 2017 to 2026.
The years with the most claims: 2008 (425), 1997 (368), 2003 (260).
This is history, not a prediction. These are National Flood Insurance Program claims, so they only count insured buildings.
FEMA’s data runs through September 8, 2026.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Redacted Claims (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Federal disaster declarations
Mecklenburg County has been part of 11 federal disaster declarations for fires, storms, floods or mudslides since 1989: 0 for fires and 11 for storms, floods or mudslides.
Most recent
- Severe Winter StormJanuary 24, 2026 · EM-3637-NC
- Tropical Storm HeleneSeptember 28, 2024 · DR-4827-NC
- Hurricane HeleneSeptember 26, 2024 · EM-3617-NC
FEMA’s ids start with DR for a major disaster, EM for an emergency and FM for fire management.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Landslide-prone ground
USGS maps about 52% of Mecklenburg County as ground susceptible to landslides. Its national inventory lists 1 documented landslide in the county.
This is a county-wide figure, not a rating for your spot. Steep slopes, road cuts and burned hillsides above you matter most in heavy rain.
From the USGS U.S. Landslide Inventory and Susceptibility data release (2024). Susceptible ground is terrain steep and high enough for landslides like those mapped in similar places. The inventory counts only slides someone mapped, and some states map few, so a low count doesn’t mean the ground is stable.
Source: USGS landslide susceptibility, county table (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Rain in past strong El Niño winters
October–March rainfall at the Charlotte Douglas Airport weather station in past strong El Niño winters, compared with its 1991–2020 normal.
Oct–Mar rainfall in past strong El Niño winters, as % of the 1991–2020 normal — Charlotte Douglas Airport
6 of the 7 strong El Niño winters on record at Charlotte Douglas Airport were wetter than normal. They ranged from 92% of normal (1991-92) to 156% (2015-16) — a tendency, not a guarantee.
| Winter | ONI (DJF) | Oct–Mar total | % of normal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-58 | 1.69 | 22.72 in | 111% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1972-73 | 1.55 | 28.16 in | 137% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1982-83 | 2.14 | 25.21 in | 123% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1991-92 | 1.54 | 18.84 in | 92% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 1997-98 | 2.22 | 24.29 in | 118% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2015-16 | 2.50 | 31.94 in | 156% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
| 2023-24 | 1.84 | 23.19 in | 113% | NOAA NCEI daily precipitation |
Source: NOAA NCEI (the exact query), data as of September 29, 2026.
Local help
Help lines, alert sign-ups and official emergency pages for this county and state.
- 211NC 211 (opens in a new tab)
- State alertsReadyNC: Emergency alerts (opens in a new tab)
- County emergency officesNC DPS: County emergency management agencies (opens in a new tab)
- State agencyNorth Carolina Emergency Management (opens in a new tab)
- State recoveryNC Emergency Management: Disaster recovery (opens in a new tab)
- Federal disaster helpDisasterAssistance.gov (opens in a new tab)
- Open sheltersRed Cross open shelter finder (opens in a new tab)
- Road conditionsDriveNC (opens in a new tab)
Power and internet outages
Power
Main power companies in North Carolina. Your bill names yours; check your address to see which may serve it.
- Outage mapDuke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress (opens in a new tab)
- Outage mapDominion Energy North Carolina (opens in a new tab)
- Outage maps directoryNC Department of Public Safety: power outages (opens in a new tab)
- Outage maps directoryReadyNC: power outages (opens in a new tab)
Internet and phone
- Carrier statusAT&T outage map (opens in a new tab)
- Carrier statusSpectrum service status (opens in a new tab)
- Regional internet outagesCloudflare Radar: internet outages (opens in a new tab)
4 more we haven’t verified: search for them by name
- Carrier statusVerizon outage/status
- Carrier statusT-Mobile service status
- Carrier statusXfinity/Comcast support
- Carrier statusFrontier outage map
What about your street?
County numbers can’t tell you about your home. Check your address against the official flood, fire and landslide maps and live warnings.