Kershaw County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 501 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #868 nationally and #23 in South Carolina.
501
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
51
Direct injuries
$28.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Kershaw County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kershaw County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 159 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 39 events fall before 1990 and 462 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kershaw County, South Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $25.3M 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 Kershaw County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 326 | 1 | $2.2M | 80 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 130 | 0 | $471K | 2.75 | 1960–2024 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $25.3M | F4 | 1964–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 1 | $158K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2013–2016 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $581K | 0 | 2012–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Kershaw 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
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-07 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-01-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-23 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-03-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kershaw County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5, 2015 | Flash Flood | LUGOFF | 1 | 2 | $20K |
| Jun 20, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | BETHUNE | 1 | 0 | $18K |
| Mar 28, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 31 | $25.0M | |
| May 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | LUGOFF | 0 | 12 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | Tornado | ELGIN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | BETHUNE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 2004 | Tornado | CAMDEN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 1997 | Tornado | CAMDEN | 0 | 1 | $225K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two people were swept off of Pine Grove Road by flood waters. The incident occurred along Twenty Five Mile Creek. The was barricaded. It is suspected they drove around the barricade. Their car stalled in flood waters and was swept down the creek. The male driver of the vehicle drowned.
An F1 tornado produced winds to 90 mph and damaged a home north of Bethune before crossing the county and and diminishing to an F0 which took down many trees in the Carolina Sand Hills National Wildlife Refuge just north of Mc Bee.
EM reported 3 to 5 inches of rain in a 3 hour period causing flash flooding and closing several roads. One road washed out completely and another had a sink hole develop that filled up and closed the road. Many ponds overflowed their banks as did streams and creeks around the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
68,314
Population (ACS)
$217K
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 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
- Camden 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kershaw County, South Carolina?
501 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $28.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kershaw County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 326 recorded events — 65.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kershaw County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kershaw County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kershaw County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kershaw County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kershaw County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kershaw 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
- Jasper County 483
- Lancaster County 507
- Horry County 1,020
- Laurens County 543
- Hampton County 396
- Lee County 236
Cite this page
“Kershaw County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/kershaw-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.