Bamberg County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 276 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,922 nationally and #40 in South Carolina.
276
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
36
Direct injuries
$7.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Bamberg County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bamberg County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 86 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 252 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $4.4M 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 Bamberg County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 168 | 0 | $2.9M | 70 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 68 | 0 | $28K | 2.75 | 1975–2025 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $4.4M | F3 | 1951–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $23K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Bamberg 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
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 2 | 7 | 35.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 34.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-03-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-01-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 13.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-09-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bamberg County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2012 | Hail | OLAR | 0 | 30 | $20K |
| Apr 24, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| May 20, 2008 | Hail | OLAR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | Tornado | Govan to | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed an EF0 tornado|in Bamberg County, SC just southwest of Farrell Crossroads. The|tornado had a path length of about 2.35 miles with a maximum path|width of 200 yards. The peak wind associated with the tornado was|85 mph. The tornado touched down just east of Hunters Chapel Rd,|crossed Bay View Rd, and dissipated east of Farrells Rd. The|tornado produced sporadic tree damage, with with both softwoods|and hardwoods uprooted or snapped along its path.
A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed an EF1 tornado|in Bamberg County, SC just west Ehrhardt. The tornado had a path|length of about 3.75 miles with a maximum path width of 250 yards.|The peak wind associated with the tornado was 110 mph. The tornado touched down near St Johns Church Rd between Lizard Rd and Hi Ki Pen Rd. There was scattered tree damage, with both softwoods and hardwoods uprooted or snapped as it moved|northeast across Lizard Rd, Rib Eye Rd and Jager Rd. The tornado|then continued northeast across Low Country Hwy, snapping and|uprooting trees on Singleton Rd. The tornado intensified to EF1|intensity as it crossed a property on Pocketville Rd. The walls|and roof were blown off of a shed, multiple vehicles and a small|tractor were spun and shifted, shingles and siding were ripped off|of a house, and many large diameter pine trees were snapped. The|tornado then destroyed a shed, uprooted 12 large pecan trees, and|removed a portion of the tin off of a house at the intersection of|Pocketville Rd and Ehrhardt Rd before dissipating.
The tornado touched down in Barnwell County, tracked to the ENE and moved out of Barnwell County and into Bamberg County near US Hwy 78. The tornado then moved northeast across northern Bamberg County across Fox Glove Road and Char-Augusta Road, before dissipating just prior to the Orangeburg County line. A power pole was snapped, a pivot irrigation system was flipped over and several softwood trees were uprooted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,042
Population (ACS)
$98K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jan 10, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 29, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 29, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bamberg County, South Carolina?
276 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bamberg County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 168 recorded events — 60.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bamberg County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bamberg County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bamberg County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bamberg County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bamberg County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bamberg 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
- Anderson County 860
- Barnwell County 309
- Allendale County 256
- Beaufort County 856
- Aiken County 819
- Berkeley County 959
Cite this page
“Bamberg County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/bamberg-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.