Tornadoes · United States · South Carolina

Tornadoes in Lexington County, South Carolina

49 tornadoes have crossed Lexington County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 4th of the 46 counties in South Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 55. 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
49
Deaths
1
Injuries
55
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 2, 1995

The deadliest in Lexington County

  1. F2, Lexington County, South CarolinaJuly 23, 19971 killed, 6 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Lexington County, South CarolinaAugust 16, 1994F3, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  2. F3, Lexington County, South CarolinaNovember 2, 1995F3, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  3. F3, Lexington County, South CarolinaAugust 16, 1994F3, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  4. F2, Lexington County, South CarolinaApril 5, 1957F2, 21.3 mi (34 km)
  5. EF2, Lexington and Aiken counties, South CarolinaFebruary 24, 2012EF2, 9.2 mi (15 km)
  6. EF2, Lexington County, South CarolinaMarch 15, 2008EF2, 8.3 mi (13 km)
  7. EF2, Lexington and Aiken counties, South CarolinaApril 5, 2022EF2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  8. EF2, Lexington County, South CarolinaMarch 28, 2010EF2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Newberry and Lexington counties, South CarolinaDecember 13, 1973F2, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  10. F2, Lexington County, South CarolinaJuly 23, 1997F2, 3.5 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lexington County. Each year links to every tornado in South Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261Unrated
20252EF1
202421EF1
20233EF1
202221EF2
20213EF1
20195EF1
20183EF2
20171EF0
20161EF0
20151EF1
20121EF2
201011EF2
20081EF2
20061F0
20041F0
1997116F2
19955F3
1994640F3
199312F1
19891F1
19811F1
19741F1
19731F2
197213F1
19631F1
195711F2

Every tornado that crossed Lexington County

49 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 12, 20269:53 AM EDTUnratedLexington1.20
June 9, 20258:43 PM EDTEF1Lexington6.2200
March 16, 20258:38 AM EDTEF1Lexington5.8125
September 26, 20241:52 AM EDTEF1Calhoun13.7710
January 9, 20242:10 PM ESTEF1Lexington3.31501
January 4, 202310:42 AM ESTEF0Lexington4.650
January 4, 202310:40 AM ESTEF1Lexington6.650
January 4, 202310:30 AM ESTEF0Lexington1.450
April 5, 20226:20 PM EDTEF1Lexington5.840
April 5, 20225:35 PM EDTEF2Lexington5.71001
August 17, 20213:53 PM EDTEF1Lexington2.9250
August 17, 20213:33 PM EDTEF0Lexington4.350
August 17, 20213:31 PM EDTEF0Lexington9.475
October 31, 20196:09 PM EDTEF0Lexington0.150
October 31, 20196:02 PM EDTEF1Lexington0.5100
October 31, 20195:59 PM EDTEF1Lexington1.150
March 3, 20197:13 PM ESTEF1Lexington1.950
March 3, 20196:53 PM ESTEF1Lexington10.8100
April 15, 20182:16 PM EDTEF1Lexington2.3150
April 15, 20182:15 PM EDTEF0Lexington0.4100
April 15, 20182:03 PM EDTEF2Lexington3.0200
April 5, 20172:06 PM EDTEF0Lexington0.075
February 3, 20162:28 PM ESTEF0Lexington0.775$50,000
April 19, 20155:15 PM EDTEF1Lexington9.6200
February 24, 20121:07 PM ESTEF2Lexington9.2150$300,000
March 28, 201011:25 PM EDTEF2Lexington5.04401$1.0 million
March 15, 20085:41 PM EDTEF2Lexington8.3440
January 13, 20065:18 PM ESTF0Lexington0.240
September 27, 20045:30 PM EDTF0Lexington1.080
July 23, 199711:53 PM EDTF2Lexington3.520016$920,000
November 7, 19953:30 PM ESTF1Lexington3.0250
November 7, 19953:23 PM ESTF0Lexington0.150
November 7, 19953:15 PM ESTF0Lexington0.150
November 2, 19953:45 PM ESTF3Lexington1.5250$50,000 to $500,000
January 14, 199510:56 AM ESTF1Lexington1.073$5,000 to $50,000
August 16, 19941:35 PM EDTF3Lexington8.044040$5 million to $50 million
August 16, 19941:35 PM EDTF3Lexington0.373
August 16, 199412:53 PM EDTF0Lexington0.1100
August 16, 199412:27 PM EDTF2Lexington2.023
August 16, 199412:16 PM EDTF0Lexington0.530$5,000 to $50,000
August 16, 199412:00 PM EDTF2Lexington0.150
February 21, 199312:15 AM ESTF1Lexington0.44502$500,000 to $5 million
February 21, 19898:00 AM ESTF1Lexington0.210$50,000 to $500,000
February 11, 19811:15 AM ESTF1Lexington2.050$500 to $5,000
February 22, 19746:00 AM EDTF1Lexington1.030$50,000 to $500,000
December 13, 19735:45 PM ESTF2Newberry3.820$500 to $5,000
January 10, 19723:05 PM ESTF1Lexington6.0773$50,000 to $500,000
September 28, 19638:00 PM GMT-4F1Lexington2.0100$50 to $500
April 5, 19577:45 AM GMT-5F2Lexington21.3401$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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