Tornadoes · United States · South Carolina

Tornadoes in Horry County, South Carolina

60 tornadoes have crossed Horry County since 1950, 3rd of the 46 counties in South Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 121. 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
60
Deaths
0
Injuries
121
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 24, 1967

The strongest

  1. F3, Horry County, South CarolinaNovember 24, 1967F3, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  2. F3, Horry County, South CarolinaAugust 17, 1965F3, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  3. F2, Horry and Columbus counties, South Carolina and North CarolinaMarch 28, 1984F2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  4. F2, Horry County, South CarolinaMay 12, 1965F2, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  5. F2, Horry and Columbus counties, South Carolina and North CarolinaDecember 1, 1967F2, 14.3 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Marion and Horry counties, South CarolinaJune 10, 1982F2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  7. F2, Horry County, South CarolinaNovember 7, 1995F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  8. F2, Horry County, South CarolinaJune 2, 1985F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Horry County, South CarolinaJuly 6, 2001F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  10. F2, Horry County, South CarolinaOctober 7, 1965F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 33 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Horry County. Each year links to every tornado in South Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20232EF1
20223EF1
202041EF1
20194EF1
20184EF0
20172EF1
20161EF0
20132EF0
20091EF0
20081EF0
20071EF1
20041F0
2001239F2
19991F1
19981F0
199711F1
19962F0
19951F2
19852F2
198418F2
1982216F2
19793F2
197613F1
19741F1
19731F1
19683F2
196722F3
1965446F3
19641F1
19621F1
19601F1
19592F1
195515F1

Every tornado that crossed Horry County

60 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 17, 20231:16 PM ESTEF1Horry2.4150$200,000
August 30, 202310:12 PM EDTEF0Horry1.630
May 27, 20225:32 PM EDTEF0Horry1.020
May 27, 20224:57 PM EDTEF0Horry1.015
April 5, 20227:51 PM EDTEF1Marion5.450
October 11, 20204:31 PM EDTEF0Horry2.320$20,000
October 11, 20204:19 PM EDTEF1Horry0.3301$150,000
September 25, 20203:24 PM EDTEF0Horry0.225$3,000
January 13, 202012:45 PM ESTEF0Horry1.245$200,000
October 19, 20191:52 AM EDTEF0Horry0.925$25,000
September 5, 20196:37 AM EDTEF0Horry0.325$200,000
September 5, 20195:45 AM EDTEF0Horry0.115$10,000
September 5, 20194:37 AM EDTEF1Horry4.875$200,000
September 16, 20189:16 PM EDTEF0Horry0.130$5,000
September 16, 201812:17 PM EDTEF0Horry0.430
September 16, 201812:16 PM EDTEF0Horry0.115
July 23, 20181:25 PM EDTEF0Horry0.115$500
October 23, 201710:27 PM EDTEF1Horry0.475$25,000
February 15, 201711:30 AM ESTEF1Horry4.960$997,000
October 8, 20166:46 AM EDTEF0Horry1.525
June 29, 20134:26 PM EDTEF0Horry0.150$15,000
June 29, 20134:15 PM EDTEF0Horry0.130$35,000
August 12, 20092:00 PM EDTEF0Horry1.140$13,000
March 15, 20087:13 PM EDTEF0Horry0.325$5,000
July 11, 20076:40 PM EDTEF1Horry0.110$500
August 12, 20042:00 PM EDTF0Horry1.025
July 6, 20014:15 PM EDTF2Horry4.015039$8.0 million
July 6, 20014:05 PM EDTF1Horry0.1100$800,000
May 6, 19995:40 PM EDTF1Horry0.720$30,000
March 8, 19983:30 PM ESTF0Horry0.230$30,000
April 22, 199711:25 PM EDTF1Horry0.3201$20,000
October 8, 19965:35 AM EDTF0Horry0.515$250,000
July 10, 19966:53 PM EDTF0Horry0.320
November 7, 19955:17 PM ESTF2Horry5.0100$500,000 to $5 million
November 29, 19854:30 PM ESTF0Horry0.230$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19851:40 AM EDTF2Horry5.0100$50,000 to $500,000
March 28, 19848:35 PM CSTF2Horry to NC16.03538$50,000 to $500,000
June 22, 19824:30 PM EDTF1Horry0.333$50,000 to $500,000
June 10, 19827:25 PM EDTF2Marion6.013316$500,000 to $5 million
September 4, 197912:10 AM EDTF2Horry1.097$500,000 to $5 million
September 4, 197912:05 AM EDTF1Horry1.057$50,000 to $500,000
September 4, 197911:05 PM EDTF1Horry1.063$50,000 to $500,000
March 16, 197611:40 AM ESTF1Horry2.0403$500,000 to $5 million
April 8, 197411:30 PM EDTF1Horry0.330$5,000 to $50,000
April 7, 19736:00 PM ESTF1Horry2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
December 7, 19687:00 PM GMT-5F2Horry0.313$5,000 to $50,000
August 8, 19682:30 PM GMT-4F1Horry0.627under $50
March 12, 19686:00 PM GMT-5F0Horry0.210$50 to $500
December 1, 19676:30 PM GMT-6F2Horry to NC14.3931$5,000 to $50,000
November 24, 19679:30 PM GMT-5F3Horry3.31001$5,000 to $50,000
October 7, 19657:00 AM GMT-4F2Horry3.380$50,000 to $500,000
August 17, 19657:10 PM GMT-4F3Horry0.35046$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 19657:00 PM GMT-4F1Horry0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 19655:00 PM GMT-4F2Horry15.040$5,000 to $50,000
September 12, 19643:00 PM GMT-4F1Horry0.133$5,000 to $50,000
August 17, 196212:30 PM GMT-4F1Horry1.510$5,000 to $50,000
September 11, 19605:00 PM GMT-4F1Horry0.860$5,000 to $50,000
September 30, 19598:00 AM GMT-4F1Horry0.3100$500 to $5,000
June 2, 19593:40 PM GMT-4F1Horry2.057$5,000 to $50,000
August 10, 19553:30 PM GMT-4F1Horry0.32005$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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