Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, May 7 to 8, 1998

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, May 7 to 8, 1998
Start: 1998-05-07T17:34
End: 1998-05-08T01:45
Location: South Carolina

May 7 to 8, 1998 · NWS CAE · 22 events in 10 counties and zones

8 hail, 7 tornado, 7 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 13
Property damage: $1.9 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 7 tornado, 7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, McCormick

When: May 7, 5:34 PM EST
Where: McCormick County, Mc Cormick
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.920, -82.280

Sheriff reported golf ball size hail.

Hail, McCormick

When: May 7, 5:42 PM EST
Where: McCormick County, 9 mi E of Mc Cormick
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Property damage: $60,000
Coordinates: 33.920, -82.130

COOP observer reported baseball size hail.

Tornado, Edgefield

When: May 7, 6:15 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
Where: Edgefield County, Edgefield to 10 mi NNW of Edgefield
Rating: F3
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $300,000
Coordinates: 33.880, -82.030

An F3 tornado touched down near SC highway 61 and moved east to SC highway 36 taking down numerous trees and causing major and minor damage to several homes.

Tornado, Edgefield

When: May 7, 6:47 PM EST to 7:07 PM EST
Where: Edgefield County, Johnston to 6 mi of Johnston
Rating: F2
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 33.830, -81.880

An F2 tornado touched down west of Johnston and moved into the community just after 8 pm EDT causing major damage to several homes and businesses.

Tornado, McCormick

When: May 7, 7:03 PM EST to 7:05 PM EST
Where: McCormick County, Clarks Hill
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 33.670, -82.180

An F0 tornado took down trees at Clarks Hill Recreation Area.

Hail, McCormick

When: May 7, 7:10 PM EST
Where: McCormick County, Clarks Hill
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 33.670, -82.180

SKYWARN spotter reported nickel size hail.

Hail, Edgefield

When: May 7, 7:12 PM EST
Where: Edgefield County, 14 mi SSW of Edgefield
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.600, -82.020

SKYWARN spotter reported golf ball size hail near SC highway 230.

Tornado, Saluda

When: May 7, 7:12 PM EST to 7:15 PM EST
Where: Saluda County, Ward to 2 mi SW of Ward
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.5 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 33.850, -81.750

An F1 tornado damaged several buildings and homes and picked up two cotton bin holders and threw them 100 yds.

Tornado, Edgefield

When: May 7, 7:15 PM EST to 7:35 PM EST
Where: Edgefield County, Edgefield to 12 mi SSE of Edgefield
Rating: F3
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.0 million
Coordinates: 33.670, -82.070

An F3 tornado either destroyed or severely damaged around 60 homes and mobile homes and a church. One person was killed when her mobile home took a direct hit and was completely destroyed. Widespread trees were taken down.

Tornado, Aiken

When: May 7, 7:45 PM EST to 7:47 PM EST
Where: Aiken County, 5 mi NNW of Aiken
Rating: F0
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 33.620, -81.750

An F0 tornado touched down near I-20 and SC highway 19 taking down trees.

Hail, Aiken

When: May 7, 7:47 PM EST
Where: Aiken County, 5 mi NNW of Aiken
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 33.620, -81.750

SKYWARN spotter reported nickel size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Aiken

When: May 7, 8:02 PM EST
Where: Aiken County, Salley
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 33.570, -81.300

Spotter reported trees down, some on houses.

Hail, Orangeburg

When: May 7, 8:10 PM EST
Where: Orangeburg County, North
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 33.620, -81.100

Police report nickel size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Orangeburg

When: May 7, 8:25 PM EST to 8:35 PM EST
Where: Orangeburg County, Springfield to North
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 33.500, -81.280

EOC reported trees down from Springfield to North.

Hail, Orangeburg

When: May 7, 8:40 PM EST
Where: Orangeburg County, Cordova
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.430, -80.930

Sheriff reported golf ball size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bamberg

When: May 7, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Bamberg County, Denmark
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 33.320, -81.150

Police reported trees down around town.

Hail, Edgefield

When: May 7, 9:05 PM EST
Where: Edgefield County, 5 mi S of Edgefield
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 33.720, -81.920

Sheriff reported nickel size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Barnwell

When: May 7, 9:15 PM EST
Where: Barnwell County, 2 mi N of Blackville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 33.380, -81.270

Highway department reported trees down on SC highway 3.

Tornado, McCormick

When: May 7, 11:13 PM EST to 11:15 PM EST
Where: McCormick County, Meriwether
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 33.650, -82.170

Sheriff reported trees down with minor damage to some homes.

Thunderstorm Wind, Newberry

When: May 8, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Newberry County, Little Mtn
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 34.200, -81.420

Spotter reported trees and powerlines down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfield

When: May 8, 1:30 AM EST
Where: Fairfield County, 5 mi SW of Winnsboro
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 34.330, -81.170

Sheriff reported trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lexington

When: May 8, 1:45 AM EST
Where: Lexington County, 8 mi SW of Lexington
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 33.900, -81.350

Trees fell on a vehicle as it pulled out from under an over pass on I-20 at SC highway 34.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Edgefield	1998-05-07	38	Female	Mobile/Trailer Home	Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Carolina in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history The tornado archive for South Carolina, 1998 Warnings in South Carolina, May 1998

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: 5639360, 5639361, 5639362, 5639363, 5639364, 5639365, 5639366, 5639367, 5639368, 5639369, 5639437, 5639438, 5639439, 5639440, 5639441, 5639442, 5639444, 5639443, 5639445, 5639446, 5639447, 5639448.