Dorchester County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 801 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #291 nationally and #13 in South Carolina.
801
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$11.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Dorchester County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dorchester County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 11.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 290 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 763 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $7.1M 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 Dorchester County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 498 | 0 | $561K | 91 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 185 | 0 | $3K | 2.75 | 1963–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 62 | 0 | $7.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 22 | 0 | $3.1M | F1 | 1958–2022 |
| Lightning | 19 | 0 | $227K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 2015–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2013–2018 |
Decade by decade
Dorchester 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
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-10 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-04-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dorchester County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Summerville | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| May 12, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 11, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | GIVHANS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 2007 | Lightning | SUMMERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARLEYVILLE | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jun 29, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | SUMMERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 1997 | Lightning | ST GEORGE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1996 | Lightning | SUMMERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Law enforcement, media and social media posts indicated widespread flooding around Summerville and Wescott Plantation. Roads closed included Orangeburg Road at the intersection of Greenwave Boulevard, Ashley River Road at the intersection of Bacons Bridge Road and Wescott Boulevard between Ballantine Drive and Patriot Boulevard. The Dorchester SPCA building was also flooded with dogs standing in water inside their kennels. Dogs and other animals were being moved to safe locations. An off duty NWS employee also reported a tree down along South Main Street with damage to a structure and a vehicle.
Dorchester County Emergency Management reported that water entered at least 31 homes due to flash flooding along Eagle Creek. This included homes on Tranquil Lane and Harrison Road in the Tranquil Acres/Estates neighborhood, as well as homes in the Summerwood subdivision off of Ladson Road. Of the 31 impacted structures, 18 had 12 inches or less of water, 10 had between 13 and 23 inches of water, and 3 had between 24 and 35 inches of water inside.
An EF1 Tornado was confirmed by a storm survey conducted by the Charleston, South Carolina National Weather Service Office. The Tornado touched down north of Ridgeville, South Carolina at the Carters fast stop gas station, and traveled 2.2 miles before lifting. The maximum width of the tornado was determined to be 40 yards. Roof panels were stripped from the Canopy at the Carters fast stop gas station, two mobile homes were damaged with one shifted 5 feet off its foundation and another having its windows and doors blown out. Additionally, a car was moved approximately 50 feet. The estimated maximum sustained winds in this EF1 Tornado were estimated to be between 100 and 110 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
167,201
Population (ACS)
$329K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Nov 21, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Summerville 230
- Slandsville 218
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dorchester County, South Carolina?
801 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dorchester County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 498 recorded events — 62.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dorchester County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dorchester County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dorchester County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dorchester County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dorchester County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dorchester 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
- Dillon County 267
- Edgefield County 321
- Darlington County 535
- Fairfield County 425
- Colleton County 1,159
- Florence County 628
Cite this page
“Dorchester County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/dorchester-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.