Colleton County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 1,159 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 80.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #87 nationally and #5 in South Carolina.
1,159
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$4.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Colleton County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Colleton County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 16.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 421 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 1,125 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Colleton County, South Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $2.3M 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 Colleton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 930 | 1 | $1.1M | 70 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 125 | 0 | $3K | 3 | 1961–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $538K | F1 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $2.3M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $101K | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $163K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2013–2018 |
Decade by decade
Colleton 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
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-09-03 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-09-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 17.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Colleton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | WALTERBORO MUNI ARPT | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2007 | Tornado | RUFFIN | 0 | 9 | $200K |
| Sep 1, 2022 | Lightning | JONESVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | COTTAGEVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 23, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K | |
| May 6, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Colleton County Fire Rescue Emergency Management Division reported a tree down on a residence in the 700 block of Barracada Road due to strong inflow winds near a passing tornado. Three people were trapped inside, which included one injured person and one adult female fatality.
An emergency manager reported a few roads near Walterboro closed due to flooding. Roads closed due to flooding included Cane Branch Road and Ruffin Road at a railroad crossing. Dodge Lane was also washed out due to flooding.
Widespread wind damage across the Walterboro area from Supercell thunderstorm. Wind estimates of 60 to 70 mph throughout town with numerous reports of trees down some of which fell on homes. Numerous power lines and power poles down as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
38,783
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
28
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Walterboro 217
- Cottageville 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Colleton County, South Carolina?
1,159 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $4.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Colleton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 930 recorded events — 80.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Colleton County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Colleton County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Colleton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Colleton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Colleton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Colleton 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
- Clarendon County 474
- Darlington County 535
- Chesterfield County 454
- Dillon County 267
- Chester County 321
- Dorchester County 801
Cite this page
“Colleton County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/colleton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.