Chester County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 321 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,660 nationally and #35 in South Carolina.
321
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$8.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Chester County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chester County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 286 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chester County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chester County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 194 | 0 | $571K | 75 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 94 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1963–2025 |
| Tornado | 19 | 1 | $7.8M | F2 | 1955–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $143K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2010 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2001–2002 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Chester 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
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-11-16 | EF2 | 3 | 5 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-15 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chester County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 1994 | Tornado | Lowrys | 1 | 4 | $5.0M |
| May 5, 2020 | Lightning | CHESTER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 1997 | Flash Flood | FT LAWN | 0 | 1 | $43K |
| Jun 22, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | west of Pageland | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Jun 20, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A short-lived, but intense, mesocyclone developed along a squall line ahead of a cold front at about 0045 EST and moved into western Chester County. The mesocyclone intensified within a matter of 10 to 20 minutes into a F2 tornado that touched down four miles southwest of Lowrys and moved four miles to near Lowrys before dissipating. Three mobile homes completely disintegrated, three barns crushed, a new pickup truck was completely destoyed, four mobile homes were damaged, four people were injured (one seriously) and another killed. More than 2000 residents lost electrical power due to the tornado. F64M.
NWS storm survey found a second tornado developed across southeast Chester County, beginning along Old Catholic Church Rd, a little over a mile south of Highway 97, or just west of I-77. The tornado initially moved east, crossing Interstate 77, and downing trees and snapping large limbs across Mountain Gap Road, Ross Dye Road and Georgetown Road, before turning southeast. The tornado crossed Highway 21 into the town of Great Falls and produced additional tree damage along Walnut Street, Hampton Street, Duke Street, and Republic Street. A house on Republic St received significant damage from a fallen tree. The tornado moved over the Catawba River southeast of Great Falls, crossing Big Island and Pickett Island before moving into southwest Lancaster County, where the tornado strengthened.
This brief tornado blew down several trees and damaged or destroyed 2 small trailers shortly after touching down. It then moved north and lifted a portion of the roof from a well-constructed home. The garage wall was blown inward about 1 foot at this same location. A carport next to the home was also detroyed. Several trees were blown down and a small trailer destroyed at a hunting club before the tornado lifted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
32,182
Population (ACS)
$158K
Median home value
23
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 Chester County, South Carolina?
321 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $8.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chester County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 194 recorded events — 60.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chester County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chester County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chester County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chester County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chester County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chester 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
- Cherokee County 417
- Chesterfield County 454
- Charleston County 1,351
- Clarendon County 474
- Calhoun County 327
- Colleton County 1,159
Cite this page
“Chester County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/chester-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.