Tornadoes · United States · South Carolina

Tornadoes in Lancaster County, South Carolina

13 tornadoes have crossed Lancaster County since 1950, 43rd of the 46 counties in South Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 5.8 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 107. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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
13
Deaths
4
Injuries
107
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, April 8, 1957

The deadliest in Lancaster County

  1. F4, Lancaster, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Scotland, Robeson, Cumberland and Sampson counties, South Carolina and North CarolinaApril 8, 19574 killed, 70 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Lancaster, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Scotland, Robeson, Cumberland and Sampson counties, South Carolina and North CarolinaApril 8, 1957F4, 121.4 mi (195 km)
  2. F4, Lancaster and Kershaw counties, South CarolinaMarch 28, 1984F4, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  3. EF2, Chester and Lancaster counties, South CarolinaMay 5, 2020EF2, 14.0 mi (22 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 10 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lancaster County. Each year links to every tornado in South Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20201EF2
20171EF1
20102EF0
20081EF0
20041F1
198921F1
1984136F4
19771F1
19691F1
19572470F4

Every tornado that crossed Lancaster County

13 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 5, 20206:46 PM EDTEF2Chester14.0200$100,000
May 24, 20173:19 PM CDTEF1Lancaster to NC8.150$100,000
July 12, 20104:12 PM EDTEF0Lancaster1.960$8,000
July 12, 20102:57 PM EDTEF0Lancaster1.9220$65,000
March 4, 20084:42 PM ESTEF0Lancaster1.540
September 7, 200410:40 AM EDTF1Lancaster2.0300
September 21, 19891:45 AM EDTF1Lancaster0.7150$500 to $5,000
June 16, 19896:15 PM EDTF1Lancaster1.0501$500,000 to $5 million
March 28, 19846:20 PM ESTF4Lancaster4.053036$5 million to $50 million
March 4, 197712:20 PM ESTF1Lancaster1.120$5,000 to $50,000
October 1, 196912:45 AM GMT-4F1Lancaster0.517$50 to $500
April 8, 19574:00 PM GMT-6F4Lancaster to NC121.4150470
April 5, 19578:30 PM GMT-5F1Lancaster1.033$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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