Lexington County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 1,273 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #67 nationally and #3 in South Carolina.
1,273
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
91
Direct injuries
$79.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Lexington County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lexington County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 18.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 458 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 114 events fall before 1990 and 1,159 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lexington County, South Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $58.1M 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 Lexington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 799 | 2 | $2.2M | 96 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 302 | 0 | $252K | 2.5 | 1963–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 77 | 0 | $17.4M | 5 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 49 | 1 | $58.1M | F3 | 1957–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2012–2023 |
| Lightning | 12 | 2 | $1.5M | 1 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $19K | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2016 |
Decade by decade
Lexington 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
52 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-11-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-16 | EF3 | 0 | 40 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-03-13 | EF2 | 2 | 10 | 9.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-07-23 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lexington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 1997 | Tornado | GASTON | 1 | 6 | $917K |
| Jun 8, 2004 | Lightning | LEXINGTON | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 13, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | ARTHUR | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | Lightning | (CAE)COLUMBIA METRO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | SWANSEA | 1 | 0 | $12K |
| Aug 16, 1994 | Tornado | Lexington | 0 | 40 | $50.0M |
| Jun 24, 2025 | Lightning | PROVIDENCE | 0 | 20 | $0 |
| May 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | BATESBURG | 0 | 6 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An F2 tornado producing winds to 150 mph killed a 32 year old female and injured 6 others. Two homes were destroyed and 9 others had major damage. Two apartements were destroyed (duplex). Seven mobile homes were destroyed and 94 had minor damage. Numerous trees were down and two crop fields had areas of destroyed crops.
Lake Murray ,Tornado touched down near intersection of SC311 and SC244 3 miles south-southeast of Lexington. Major damage occurred to the Glassmaster factory at the intersection of SC6 and Interstate 20. The tornado from that point was mostly on the ground as it moved through east and north central Lexington. Outside of Lexington, the tornado passed near the Rikard Nursing home. The storm became more intense with another area of severe damage in the Secret Cove area along the south Lake Murray shore. The tornado apparently dissipated over Lake Murray although strong winds were noted in the Old Forbes Road area on the northern shore of Lake Murray. Approximately 200 homes were damaged, many businesses, several churches and public buildings were also damaged. Five electric substations were damaged in Lexington County with 15,000 customers without electrical power. Forty people were injured. The tornado was observed by many people from the time it first struck near SC602 until it dissipated over Lake Murray.
A tornado clipped off or uprooted numerous trees along a 0.5-mile-path. Roof of a house was lifted up and set back down, a mobile home destroyed, another overturned, and severely damaged, roof blown off a garage, shed picked up and destroyed, and four chicken houses damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
304,887
Population (ACS)
$235K
Median home value
25
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
- Lexington 177
- Irmo 154
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lexington County, South Carolina?
1,273 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $79.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lexington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 799 recorded events — 62.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lexington County?
52 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lexington County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lexington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lexington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lexington County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lexington 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
- Lee County 236
- McCormick County 225
- Laurens County 543
- Marion County 319
- Lancaster County 507
- Marlboro County 322
Cite this page
“Lexington County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/lexington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.