Tornadoes · United States · South Carolina

Tornadoes in Pickens County, South Carolina

35 tornadoes have crossed Pickens County since 1950, 13th of the 46 counties in South Carolina with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 39. 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
1
Injuries
39
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 13, 2020

The deadliest in Pickens County

  1. EF3, Oconee and Pickens counties, South CarolinaApril 13, 20201 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Oconee and Pickens counties, South CarolinaApril 13, 2020EF3, 16.7 mi (27 km)
  2. F2, Pickens and Greenville counties, South CarolinaMay 27, 1973F2, 23.6 mi (38 km)
  3. F2, Pickens and Greenville counties, South CarolinaMarch 31, 1973F2, 12.4 mi (20 km)
  4. EF2, Pickens County, South CarolinaOctober 8, 2017EF2, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  5. EF2, Pickens and Greenville counties, South CarolinaApril 13, 2020EF2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  6. EF2, Pickens County, South CarolinaMarch 23, 2022EF2, 6.3 mi (10 km)
  7. EF2, Anderson and Pickens counties, South CarolinaAugust 26, 2008EF2, 5.5 mi (9 km)
  8. F2, Pickens County, South CarolinaJanuary 7, 1998F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Pickens County. Each year links to every tornado in South Carolina that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20232EF0
20223EF2
20203113EF3
20173EF2
20101EF1
20083EF2
2007115Unrated
20051F1
200331F1
20001F1
199814F2
19951F0
19941F1
19931F0
19911F1
199021F1
19871F1
19771F1
197515F1
19732F2
19611F1

Every tornado that crossed Pickens County

35 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 3, 20259:56 PM EDTEF0Pickens2.725
August 3, 20235:14 PM EDTEF0Pickens1.450$2,000
August 3, 20234:16 PM EDTEF0Pickens0.750$1,000
May 6, 20224:14 PM EDTEF1Pickens0.5150$10,000
March 23, 20229:29 PM EDTEF0Pickens0.120
March 23, 20228:56 PM EDTEF2Pickens6.3440$250,000
April 13, 20203:44 AM EDTEF0Pickens7.470
April 13, 20203:41 AM EDTEF2Pickens8.02008$300,000
April 13, 20203:21 AM EDTEF3Oconee16.71,00015$100 million
October 8, 20174:36 PM EDTEF2Pickens8.4300$250,000
April 3, 20172:13 PM EDTEF0Greenville2.850$50,000
April 3, 20171:51 PM EDTEF0Pickens0.140
November 30, 20107:45 PM ESTEF1Pickens2.7125$1.5 million
August 26, 20083:35 PM EDTEF2Anderson5.530
August 26, 20083:20 PM EDTEF0Pickens0.120
August 26, 20082:36 PM EDTEF1Oconee6.830
January 5, 20072:24 PM ESTUnratedPickens0.12015$50,000
April 22, 20052:26 PM EDTF1Pickens8.075$10,000
July 13, 20033:20 PM EDTF1Pickens12.075$230,000
July 13, 20033:15 PM EDTF1Pickens12.075$230,000
May 2, 20033:55 PM EDTF1Pickens2.31001$250,000
April 3, 20004:55 AM EDTF1Pickens3.050
January 7, 19989:10 PM ESTF2Pickens1.5404$3.0 million
May 1, 19956:30 PM EDTF0Pickens1.030$500 to $5,000
June 26, 199412:05 AM EDTF1Pickens8.0200$50,000 to $500,000
March 31, 19935:40 PM ESTF0Pickens0.110
February 14, 19911:00 AM ESTF1Pickens2.0150$5,000 to $50,000
February 10, 19907:55 AM ESTF1Pickens3.0100$50,000 to $500,000
February 10, 19906:20 AM ESTF1Oconee3.0601$50,000 to $500,000
November 10, 19875:15 AM ESTF1Pickens0.7150$5,000 to $50,000
December 5, 197711:20 AM ESTF1Pickens1.050$50,000 to $500,000
March 24, 197511:25 AM EDTF1Pickens10.62005under $50
May 27, 197311:00 PM EDTF2Pickens23.6150$5,000 to $50,000
March 31, 19738:00 PM ESTF2Pickens12.4100$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 19619:30 PM GMT-4F1Pickens0.133$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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