Barnwell County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 309 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,732 nationally and #39 in South Carolina.
309
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$13.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Barnwell County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barnwell County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 279 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $10.5M 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 Barnwell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 200 | 0 | $857K | 78 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $4K | 2.75 | 1976–2020 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $10.5M | F3 | 1952–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 2003–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2007–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2017 |
Decade by decade
Barnwell 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
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 3 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 | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 37.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 33.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 13.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barnwell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 18, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 24, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 21, 2017 | Tornado | ASHLEIGH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2005 | Lightning | BARNWELL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLACKVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency Manager reported flash flooding throughout the city of Barnwell. EM observed 4.8 inches of rain at their home and stated that many city streets flooded as storm drains could not handle that amount. Time estimated by EM.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that an EF-0 tornado touched down between Snelling and Barnwell, SC with peak winds of 80 mph. The short-lived tornado began in the Sweetwater Country Club, between Fairway Lane and Club House Lane, and moved to the northeast. The tornado uprooted at least 5 large pine trees and snapped several large branches before dissipating around Dunbarton Blvd.
Hilda town council member provided a report and photos, via social media, of multiple downed trees and large limbs in the town of Hilda. Also, parts of a metal roof were blown off. The damage extended from Broughton Ave to along Railroad Ave. Time estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,521
Population (ACS)
$106K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Aug 31, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barnwell County, South Carolina?
309 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $13.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barnwell County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 200 recorded events — 64.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barnwell County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barnwell County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barnwell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barnwell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barnwell County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barnwell 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
- Bamberg County 276
- Beaufort County 856
- Anderson County 860
- Berkeley County 959
- Allendale County 256
- Calhoun County 327
Cite this page
“Barnwell County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/barnwell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.