Abbeville County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 274 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,937 nationally and #41 in South Carolina.
274
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
67
Direct injuries
$30.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Abbeville County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Abbeville County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 244 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Abbeville County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 7 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $29.8M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Abbeville County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 156 | 0 | $178K | 65 | 1971–2025 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1956–2021 |
| Tornado | 22 | 7 | $29.8M | F4 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $143K | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $410K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2015–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Abbeville County, South Carolina severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-03-31 | EF4 | 7 | 30 | 22.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 29.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 11.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-06 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-12-04 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 24 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Abbeville County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 1973 | Tornado | 7 | 30 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 28, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 24 | $25.0M | |
| May 28, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Apr 11, 2009 | Tornado | WATTS | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
| May 3, 2021 | Tornado | LOWNDESVILLE | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| Dec 5, 1994 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $500K | |
| Apr 6, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Apr 6, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
NWS survey found an extensive area of damage in the city of Abbeville consistent with a strong EF2 tornado. The tornado began near the intersection of highway 71 and Rock Hill Rd before moving east/southeast through the city of Abbeville. The main areas affected in the city were Church Street, McGowan, Ave, Main St, and especially Secession Ave. The roofs were blown off about a half dozen frame homes in the city, while numerous mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed. A few other office buildings and businesses received major roof damage in this area. Numerous trees were snapped off or uprooted along the path. One tree fell through a home, injuring the man inside. Another man caught outside received head injuries from flying debris. The tornado lifted about a mile east/southeast of the city. The tornado was produced by a supercell embedded in a line of rapidly moving storms.
A small tornado struck suddenly from a relatively weak thunderstorm. The tornado severely damaged six homes will lesser damage to seven other homes, destroyed some outbuildings and carports, and downed numerous trees and power lines. One person sustained minor injuries. Because it hit a populated section damage was quite high for a small tornado (estimated at $500,000).
County comms and emergency management reported flash flooding developed over northern Abbeville County after 4 to 6 inches of rain fell over just a couple of hours in association with a slow moving thunderstorm cluster. Flash flooding was most concentrated in the Antreville and Lake Secession area, where multiple roads were flooded and some damaged due to inundation. These included Lake Secession Rd, Highway 284, and a portion of Highway 28. A few water rescues occurred in these areas as well. Gilgal Church Rd was also flooded north of Abbeville.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
24,420
Population (ACS)
$179K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 29, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Aug 31, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | EM |
| Nov 21, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Abbeville County, South Carolina?
274 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths and $30.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Abbeville County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 156 recorded events — 56.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Abbeville County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Abbeville County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Abbeville County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Abbeville County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Abbeville County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Abbeville County, South Carolina severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Aiken County 819
- Allendale County 256
- Anderson County 860
- Bamberg County 276
- Barnwell County 309
- Beaufort County 856
Cite this page
“Abbeville County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/abbeville-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.