Storm Records: South Carolina
Every storm the National Weather Service has filed in South Carolina: its floods, heat, cold, winter storms, hail, wind, lightning and tornadoes, year by year and county by county, each episode with its narrative.
The worst in South Carolina on the map
The deadliest and costliest episodes on record here, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 32,809
- Deaths
- 342
- Injuries
- 2,139
- Damage
- $2.9 billion
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.
Every year
Tap a year for every episode in it.
Deaths each year
By kind of event
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 16,518 | 29 | 300 | $76 million |
| Hail | 6,692 | 0 | 47 | $92 million |
| Flash Flood | 1,775 | 27 | 43 | $200 million |
| Tornado | 1,319 | 67 | 1,434 | $669 million |
| Drought | 831 | 0 | 0 | |
| Winter Weather | 670 | 2 | 3 | $119,000 |
| Strong Wind | 618 | 16 | 24 | $1.7 million |
| Lightning | 516 | 22 | 148 | $42 million |
| Winter Storm | 441 | 3 | 2 | $254,000 |
| Flood | 423 | 4 | 1 | $43 million |
| Tropical Storm | 417 | 39 | 9 | $478 million |
| Heavy Snow | 393 | 3 | 1 | $2.0 million |
| High Wind | 381 | 6 | 7 | $22 million |
| Coastal Flood | 359 | 0 | 0 | $450,000 |
| Ice Storm | 302 | 3 | 28 | $149 million |
| Heavy Rain | 282 | 5 | 27 | $3.5 million |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 145 | 19 | 1 | $770 million |
| Heat | 134 | 31 | 21 | |
| Funnel Cloud | 85 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rip Current | 84 | 53 | 16 | |
| Dense Fog | 53 | 1 | 16 | $35,000 |
| Excessive Heat | 52 | 4 | 0 | |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | 44 | 3 | 3 | $257 million |
| Frost/Freeze | 40 | 0 | 0 | $36 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 38 | 3 | 2 | $50,000 |
| High Surf | 38 | 1 | 0 | $379,000 |
| Tropical Depression | 38 | 1 | 2 | $11,000 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 35 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sleet | 33 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wildfire | 24 | 0 | 1 | $56 million |
| Waterspout | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
| Freezing Fog | 8 | 0 | 3 | |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dense Smoke | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 26 to 27, 2024Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25.
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, March 28, 1984
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 27 to 28, 2024Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in South Carolina, October 3 to 7, 2015Heavy rain in the Midlands...Pee Dee produced flash flooding in across the area. Numerous dams were breached along with numerous bridge and roadways flooded and damaged.
- Heat in South Carolina, August 1 to 31, 1999Oppressive heat and humidity gripped south coastal South Carolina resulting in many heat related fatalities.
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, March 31, 1973
- Heat in South Carolina, July 26 to 31, 1999Beginning on the 23rd of July, high temperatures eacy day reached between 95 and 105 degrees. These hot temperatures combined with high humidity contributed to the deaths of a few people during this period.
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in South Carolina, September 14 to 16, 2018Hurricane Florence began its long Atlantic trek from the Cape Verde Islands in early September. It made landfall near Wrightsville Beach during the morning of September 14th.
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 26, 1974
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 13, 2020A severe quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) moved through southeast South Carolina during the early morning hours of April 13, 2020 ahead of an approaching cold front.
- Hurricane and Tornado in South Carolina, October 8 to 25, 2016Major Hurricane Matthew moved up the southeast coast and slowly weakened to a category 1 storm as it moved up along the South Carolina coast and then eastward near the North Carolina coast.
- Strong Wind in South Carolina, March 27 to 28, 1996Gale force winds developed by early afternoon on March 27 and continued through the night. A research vessel doing soil samples off the coast of Beaufort capsized during the night of 3/27 or early morning on 3/28. All five passengers on board drowned.
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, December 13, 1973
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, September 29, 1963
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, November 16, 2011An environment of strong wind shear and weak to moderate instability supported the development of a mini-supercell thunderstorm over the eastern Upstate of South Carolina. The storm produced an EF2 tornado in Chester County, along with a couple of weaker tornadoes.
- Rip Current in South Carolina, July 14, 2013Frequent gusts of 25 knots with 4 to 6 foot seas produced Rip Currents at Fripp Island. 3 people died due to drowning.
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in South Carolina, January 3, 2018A developing surface low pressure system offshore and an amplifying upper level trough approaching from the west combined with unusually cold air to produce widespread significant winter precipitation across southeast South Carolina.
- Rip Current in South Carolina, June 19 to 20, 2020Strong rip currents cost the lives of three people.
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, May 5, 1989
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in South Carolina, August 9 to 10, 2014A backdoor cold front moving from the northeast toward the southwest caused numerous thunderstorms and heavy rain showers to suddenly erupt as it moved across northern portions of Upstate South Carolina during the evening.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 22 to 23, 2000The two tornadoes that occurred in Allendale County were associated with the remnants of T.S. Helene as it moved across Georgia and South Carolina.
- Tornado and Hail in South Carolina, March 13, 1955
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 18, 2019Scattered thunderstorms developed near the Georgia and South Carolina Blue Ridge during the afternoon and moved southeast. Some of the storms formed into small clusters and produced locally damaging wind gusts. One of these gusts resulted in fatalities in Pickens County.
- Strong Wind in South Carolina, November 12, 2006Boating accident during high winds on Lake Moultrie.
- Strong Wind in South Carolina, April 15, 2008The combination of strong high pressure building into the region and an intensifying area of low pressure in the western Atlantic, resulted in very windy conditions across southern South Carolina.
The costliest
- Cold in South Carolina, March 16, 2017
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 26 to 27, 2024
- Hurricane and Tornado in South Carolina, October 8 to 25, 2016
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, March 28, 1984
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 27 to 28, 2024
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 13, 2020
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, December 4 to 5, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Flood in South Carolina, October 3 to 7, 2015
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, August 16, 1994
- Wildfire in South Carolina, April 22 to 28, 2009
- Frost and Freeze in South Carolina, April 8, 2007
- Flash Flooding and Coastal Flood in South Carolina, October 1 to 5, 2015
- Hail in South Carolina, May 25, 2000
- Flooding in South Carolina, October 4 to 19, 2015
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 20, 2024
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, January 26 to 27, 2004
- Hurricane in South Carolina, September 5, 1996
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, January 2 to 3, 1999
- Cold in South Carolina, March 8, 1996
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, December 13, 1973
- Hurricane in South Carolina, September 15 to 16, 1999
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, February 6 to 7, 2020
- Tropical Storm in South Carolina, August 29, 2004
- Flash Flooding in South Carolina, October 10, 2015
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, March 27, 1994
Counties
Every storm event filed in each county, including the zone-filed ones that covered it.
- Abbeville County388
- Aiken County886
- Allendale County315
- Anderson County1,016
- Bamberg County299
- Barnwell County337
- Beaufort County875
- Berkeley County1,092
- Calhoun County355
- Charleston County1,364
- Cherokee County568
- Chester County433
- Chesterfield County512
- Clarendon County505
- Colleton County1,428
- Darlington County595
- Dillon County316
- Dorchester County957
- Edgefield County345
- Fairfield County472
- Florence County686
- Georgetown County451
- Greenville County1,210
- Greenwood County535
- Hampton County477
- Horry County1,107
- Jasper County496
- Kershaw County547
- Lancaster County538
- Laurens County671
- Lee County268
- Lexington County1,352
- Marion County364
- Marlboro County382
- McCormick County251
- Newberry County633
- Oconee County635
- Orangeburg County959
- Pickens County599
- Richland County1,512
- Saluda County355
- Spartanburg County1,095
- Sumter County703
- Union County473
- Williamsburg County308
- York County756
Counties and zones as filed
The places filed most often, as the offices named them.
| County or zone | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland | 1,429 | 13 | 75 | $54 million |
| Charleston | 1,362 | 4 | 34 | $29 million |
| Lexington | 1,285 | 5 | 91 | $82 million |
| Colleton | 1,183 | 1 | 15 | $4.3 million |
| Greenville | 1,180 | 5 | 43 | $33 million |
| Spartanburg | 1,079 | 8 | 126 | $56 million |
| Horry | 1,029 | 12 | 141 | $60 million |
| Berkeley | 965 | 4 | 56 | $15 million |
| Orangeburg | 926 | 7 | 45 | $42 million |
| Beaufort | 875 | 4 | 25 | $8.0 million |
| Anderson | 862 | 3 | 27 | $22 million |
| Aiken | 840 | 2 | 38 | $9.6 million |
| Dorchester | 811 | 0 | 21 | $11 million |
| Sumter | 643 | 2 | 19 | $8.9 million |
| Florence | 631 | 3 | 49 | $50 million |
| Oconee | 617 | 1 | 26 | $115 million |
| York | 616 | 7 | 22 | $36 million |
| Charleston zone | 613 | 18 | 19 | $20 million |
| Newberry | 589 | 2 | 47 | $39 million |
| Pickens | 579 | 4 | 37 | $12 million |
| Laurens | 545 | 4 | 71 | $34 million |
| Darlington | 536 | 1 | 36 | $16 million |
| Lancaster | 512 | 2 | 19 | $31 million |
| Kershaw | 502 | 2 | 51 | $29 million |
| Jasper | 496 | 0 | 5 | $980,000 |
| Clarendon | 475 | 6 | 28 | $22 million |
| Chesterfield | 466 | 1 | 72 | $30 million |
| Fairfield | 428 | 6 | 75 | $30 million |
| Greenwood | 419 | 2 | 31 | $20 million |
| Cherokee | 417 | 2 | 11 | $11 million |
| Hampton | 407 | 7 | 93 | $1.0 million |
| Georgetown | 397 | 12 | 36 | $10.0 million |
| Union | 351 | 2 | 6 | $7.9 million |
| Calhoun | 327 | 1 | 9 | $13 million |
| Marlboro | 325 | 10 | 219 | $54 million |
| Edgefield | 323 | 1 | 31 | $5.2 million |
| Marion | 321 | 0 | 24 | $7.3 million |
| Saluda | 319 | 3 | 22 | $10 million |
| Chester | 312 | 2 | 6 | $8.5 million |
| Barnwell | 310 | 0 | 22 | $14 million |
| Bamberg | 277 | 0 | 36 | $10 million |
| Abbeville | 274 | 7 | 67 | $31 million |
| Williamsburg | 273 | 0 | 19 | $13 million |
| Dillon | 268 | 3 | 48 | $12 million |
| Allendale | 259 | 1 | 8 | $5.3 million |
| Northern Colleton zone | 245 | 1 | 4 | $770,000 |
| Lee | 237 | 0 | 10 | $493,000 |
| McCormick | 227 | 0 | 6 | $1.1 million |
| Spartanburg zone | 177 | 2 | 2 | $73 million |
| Beaufort zone | 171 | 16 | 10 | $1.8 million |
| Anderson zone | 154 | 13 | 0 | $73 million |
| Cherokee zone | 151 | 0 | 0 | $87 million |
| Dorchester zone | 146 | 1 | 3 | $886,000 |
| York zone | 140 | 3 | 0 | $64 million |
| Greenville Mountains zone | 135 | 0 | 0 | $52 million |
| Pickens Mountains zone | 132 | 0 | 0 | $55 million |
| Oconee Mountains zone | 131 | 1 | 0 | $54 million |
| Greater Greenville zone | 126 | 4 | 2 | $70 million |
| Laurens zone | 126 | 6 | 0 | $84 million |
| Union zone | 119 | 2 | 0 | $62 million |
| Greater Pickens zone | 116 | 1 | 0 | $70 million |
| Greenwood zone | 116 | 3 | 0 | $73 million |
| Southern Colleton zone | 115 | 1 | 5 | $619,000 |
| Greater Oconee zone | 113 | 0 | 0 | $63 million |
| Abbeville zone | 112 | 1 | 0 | $61 million |
| Chester zone | 109 | 0 | 0 | $58 million |
| Jasper zone | 94 | 1 | 1 | $1.0 million |
| Richland zone | 83 | 7 | 7 | $21 million |
| Hampton zone | 70 | 2 | 2 | $3.7 million |
| Berkeley zone | 68 | 4 | 0 | $33,000 |
| Lexington zone | 66 | 1 | 2 | $21 million |
| Southern Greenville zone | 63 | 2 | 6 | $17 million |
| Sumter zone | 60 | 1 | 1 | $2.5 million |
| Coastal Horry zone | 60 | 22 | 2 | $67 million |
| Darlington zone | 59 | 3 | 0 | $4.0 million |
| Inland Berkeley zone | 59 | 2 | 3 | $1.7 million |
| Chesterfield zone | 58 | 1 | 2 | $588,000 |
| Marlboro zone | 57 | 1 | 5 | $5.8 million |
| Allendale zone | 56 | 0 | 1 | $18 million |
| Florence zone | 55 | 2 | 4 | $5.3 million |
| Horry zone | 48 | 10 | 30 | $74 million |
| Dillon zone | 48 | 1 | 1 | $24 million |
| Northern Greenville zone | 48 | 0 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| Northern Pickens zone | 47 | 0 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| Southern Oconee zone | 47 | 4 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| Aiken zone | 46 | 10 | 0 | $56 million |
| Lancaster zone | 45 | 2 | 9 | $848,000 |
| Kershaw zone | 45 | 2 | 2 | $3.7 million |
| Northern Oconee zone | 45 | 0 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| Newberry zone | 44 | 5 | 5 | $23 million |
| Fairfield zone | 44 | 1 | 6 | $1.6 million |
| Southern Pickens zone | 44 | 0 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| Marion zone | 43 | 2 | 0 | $6.9 million |
| Saluda zone | 36 | 3 | 0 | $37 million |
| Coastal Georgetown zone | 36 | 3 | 0 | $34 million |
| Williamsburg zone | 35 | 1 | 3 | $9.3 million |
| Georgetown zone | 34 | 1 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| Lee zone | 31 | 1 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| Clarendon zone | 30 | 2 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| Orangeburg zone | 30 | 0 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| Calhoun zone | 28 | 0 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| Barnwell zone | 27 | 0 | 1 | $6.1 million |
| Tidal Berkeley zone | 27 | 0 | 0 | $626,000 |
| McCormick zone | 24 | 0 | 1 | $22 million |
| Bamberg zone | 22 | 0 | 1 | $4.7 million |
| Edgefield zone | 22 | 0 | 0 | $92 million |
| 19 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Inland Georgetown zone | 18 | 0 | 0 | $34 million |
| Southern Lancaster zone | 17 | 0 | 0 | $808,000 |
| Central Orangeburg zone | 16 | 0 | 0 | $6.9 million |
| Coastal Jasper zone | 15 | 0 | 0 | $937,000 |
| Inland Horry zone | 15 | 0 | 0 | $79 million |
| Central Horry zone | 12 | 2 | 0 | $64,000 |
| Southeastern Orangeburg zone | 9 | 0 | 0 | $3.5 million |
| Northern Lancaster zone | 9 | 0 | 0 | $200,000 |
| Northwestern Orangeburg zone | 8 | 0 | 0 | $4.0 million |
| Central Greenville zone | 8 | 4 | 0 | $15 million |
| Northern Spartanburg zone | 8 | 4 | 0 | $25 million |
| Southern Spartanburg zone | 8 | 0 | 0 | $10 million |
| Northern Horry zone | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Union and Spartanburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | $500,000 |
| Union, Spartanburg and Cherokee | 1 | 0 | 0 | $500,000 |
| Union and Cherokee | 1 | 0 | 1 | $500,000 |
| Lexington and Richland | 1 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Greenville and Spartanburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | $5,000 |
| Abbeville and Laurens | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Every year
- 2026
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
- 1986
- 1985
- 1984
- 1983
- 1982
- 1981
- 1980
- 1979
- 1978
- 1977
- 1976
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
- 1970
- 1969
- 1968
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
- 1963
- 1962
- 1961
- 1960
- 1959
- 1958
- 1957
- 1956
- 1955
- 1954
- 1953
- 1952
- 1951
- 1950
More
Every tornado in South CarolinaEvery warning in South Carolina since 1986River gauges in South CarolinaEvery state
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.