Tornadoes in South Carolina, May 20, 1980

Name: Tornadoes in South Carolina, May 20, 1980
Start: 1980-05-20T10:10
End: 1980-05-20T12:45
Location: South Carolina

May 20, 1980 · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

4 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 32
Property damage: $5.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Richland

When: May 20, 10:10 AM CST
Where: Richland County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5.7 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 33.870, -80.880

Tornado, Lee

When: May 20, 11:55 AM CST
Where: Lee County
Rating: F0
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.030, -80.080

Tornado, Darlington

When: May 20, 12:12 PM CST
Where: Darlington County
Rating: F2
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.230, -80.100

Tornado, Dillon

When: May 20, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Dillon County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10.7 mi
Path width: 517 yd
Injuries: 26 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 34.370, -79.550

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Carolina in 1980 Every state in 1980 This day in weather history The tornado archive for South Carolina, 1980

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10113852, 10113853, 10113854, 10113855.