Tornadoes · United States · South Carolina

Tornadoes in Florence County, South Carolina

35 tornadoes have crossed Florence County since 1950, 14th of the 46 counties in South Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 37. 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
35
Deaths
0
Injuries
37
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, May 14, 2006

The strongest

  1. F2, Florence County, South CarolinaMarch 12, 1967F2, 11.7 mi (19 km)
  2. F2, Florence County, South CarolinaJanuary 8, 1953F2, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  3. F2, Florence County, South CarolinaMay 27, 1981F2, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  4. F2, Florence County, South CarolinaMarch 12, 1967F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  5. F2, Florence County, South CarolinaMay 14, 2006F2, 0.6 mi (1 km)
  6. F2, Florence County, South CarolinaNovember 7, 1995F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  7. F2, Florence County, South CarolinaApril 13, 1966F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Florence County. Each year links to every tornado in South Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20202EF0
20191EF0
201319EF1
200813EF1
20071EF1
20062F2
20042F1
19992F1
19982F0
19962F0
199514F2
1994111F1
19832F1
198116F2
198012F1
19731F1
19681F1
19672F2
19661F2
19651F1
19643F1
19632F1
19621F0
195312F2

Every tornado that crossed Florence County

35 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 17, 20203:21 PM EDTEF0Florence2.220$1,000
September 17, 20202:45 PM EDTEF0Florence5.025$50,000
April 19, 20193:00 PM EDTEF0Florence0.630$50,000
July 2, 20136:59 PM EDTEF1Florence3.1909$88,000
March 15, 20086:25 PM EDTEF1Florence13.41003$605,000
July 11, 20075:14 PM EDTEF1Florence0.930$10,000
May 14, 20067:00 PM EDTF2Florence0.6150$1.3 million
May 14, 20065:55 PM EDTF1Florence0.315$250,000
September 27, 200412:05 PM EDTF1Florence0.430$20,000
September 7, 20045:45 PM EDTF0Florence1.030$2,000
May 6, 19994:45 PM EDTF1Florence0.120$60,000
April 1, 19994:25 PM ESTF0Florence0.10$10,000
June 19, 19984:55 PM EDTF0Florence8.030$80,000
June 10, 199811:45 AM EDTF0Florence2.030$10,000
September 16, 19966:45 PM EDTF0Florence1.010
September 16, 19966:40 PM EDTF0Florence0.110
November 7, 19954:38 PM ESTF2Florence0.5404$50,000 to $500,000
September 24, 199411:45 AM EDTF1Florence0.510011$50,000 to $500,000
July 23, 19837:30 PM EDTF1Florence1.050$5,000 to $50,000
June 5, 19835:00 PM EDTF1Florence0.117$500 to $5,000
May 27, 198110:00 PM EDTF2Florence4.71006$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 19806:35 PM EDTF1Florence1.0172$50,000 to $500,000
August 3, 19733:00 PM EDTF1Florence0.117$5,000 to $50,000
November 4, 19685:05 PM GMT-5F1Florence0.840$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 196712:00 PM GMT-5F2Florence11.7100$5,000 to $50,000
March 12, 196711:20 AM GMT-5F2Florence1.5100$5,000 to $50,000
April 13, 19665:30 PM GMT-5F2Florence0.217$500 to $5,000
March 26, 196512:00 PM GMT-5F1Florence0.533$500 to $5,000
December 5, 19645:30 PM GMT-5F1Florence0.213$500 to $5,000
August 29, 196412:59 AM GMT-4F1Florence0.220$500 to $5,000
August 9, 19648:30 PM GMT-4F1Florence0.110under $50
September 29, 19633:25 AM GMT-4F1Florence2.5100$5,000 to $50,000
July 28, 19633:50 PM GMT-4F0Florence1.550$500 to $5,000
April 8, 19627:05 AM GMT-5F0Florence0.250$500 to $5,000
January 8, 19535:15 PM GMT-5F2Florence9.61502$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Florence CountyThe forecast for Florence CountyThe live radar over Florence 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.