Tornadoes · United States · South Carolina

Tornadoes in Clarendon County, South Carolina

38 tornadoes have crossed Clarendon County since 1950, 10th of the 46 counties in South Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 27. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
38
Deaths
2
Injuries
27
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, August 28, 1988

The deadliest in Clarendon County

  1. F2, Clarendon County, South CarolinaAugust 28, 19881 killed, 1 injured
  2. F2, Calhoun and Clarendon counties, South CarolinaApril 22, 19581 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F2, Clarendon and Williamsburg counties, South CarolinaMay 4, 1978F2, 41.2 mi (66 km)
  2. F2, Calhoun and Clarendon counties, South CarolinaApril 22, 1958F2, 17.7 mi (28 km)
  3. EF2, Clarendon County, South CarolinaApril 19, 2019EF2, 2.9 mi (5 km)
  4. EF2, Clarendon County, South CarolinaApril 5, 2022EF2, 2.8 mi (4 km)
  5. F2, Clarendon County, South CarolinaAugust 28, 1988F2, 0.8 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Clarendon County. Each year links to every tornado in South Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20242EF0
20231EF1
20221EF2
20211EF0
20203EF1
20191EF2
20112EF1
20091EF1
20081EF1
2006318F1
200424F1
19981F0
199712F1
19961F0
19954F0
19911F0
1988111F2
19811F0
19801F1
197811F2
19771F1
19731F1
19721F0
19661F1
19621F1
19611F1
1958111F2

Every tornado that crossed Clarendon County

38 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 30, 20255:01 PM EDTEF1Clarendon10.0200
September 27, 20245:36 AM EDTEF0Clarendon0.350
September 26, 202410:17 PM EDTEF0Clarendon1.350
August 30, 20232:57 PM EDTEF1Clarendon0.7125
April 5, 20227:38 PM EDTEF2Clarendon2.8140
July 8, 20214:12 AM EDTEF0Clarendon1.540
December 24, 20207:30 PM ESTEF1Clarendon0.350
September 17, 202011:14 AM EDTEF0Clarendon0.625
September 17, 202010:17 AM EDTEF0Clarendon0.9100
April 19, 20192:29 PM EDTEF2Clarendon2.9250
April 16, 20114:13 PM EDTEF1Clarendon8.950$14,000
April 16, 20113:27 PM EDTEF0Clarendon9.640$12,000
March 28, 20095:31 PM EDTEF1Clarendon4.0330
March 15, 20086:58 PM EDTEF1Clarendon8.6220
November 16, 20061:19 AM ESTF1Clarendon16.480$5,000
April 26, 20063:45 PM EDTF0Clarendon0.260
January 13, 20069:35 PM ESTF1Clarendon6.044018$500,000
September 27, 200410:23 AM EDTF1Clarendon3.04004
September 7, 20049:48 AM EDTF0Clarendon0.5100
March 8, 19982:18 PM ESTF0Clarendon1.070$2,000
April 22, 199710:10 PM EDTF1Clarendon0.52002
March 7, 199612:31 PM ESTF0Clarendon0.240$1,000
November 7, 19954:35 PM ESTF0Clarendon0.150
November 7, 19954:30 PM ESTF0Clarendon0.270
November 2, 19954:43 PM ESTF0Clarendon0.150
June 27, 19957:33 PM EDTF0Clarendon0.130$5,000 to $50,000
May 5, 199110:30 PM EDTF0Clarendon0.370
August 28, 19883:15 PM EDTF2Clarendon0.820011$500,000 to $5 million
July 3, 19818:43 PM EDTF0Clarendon0.530
July 23, 19805:15 PM EDTF1Clarendon16.360$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19786:50 PM EDTF2Clarendon41.21501$50,000 to $500,000
February 24, 19776:00 AM ESTF1Clarendon0.167$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 197311:00 PM EDTF1Clarendon0.227$500 to $5,000
August 8, 19725:00 PM EDTF0Clarendon3.360$5,000 to $50,000
September 19, 19661:00 PM GMT-4F1Clarendon0.5100$500 to $5,000
July 24, 19625:00 PM GMT-4F1Clarendon1.080$500 to $5,000
July 15, 19617:30 PM GMT-4F1Clarendon0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19582:20 PM GMT-5F2Calhoun17.710011$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Clarendon CountyThe forecast for Clarendon CountyThe live radar over Clarendon CountyEvery county in South Carolina

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.