McCormick County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 225 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,281 nationally and #46 in South Carolina.
225
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$1.1M
Property damage
The record
What the McCormick County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McCormick County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 67 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 217 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $509K in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in McCormick County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 151 | 0 | $293K | 73 | 1974–2025 |
| Hail | 50 | 0 | $90K | 2.75 | 1955–2021 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $509K | F3 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $18K | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
McCormick 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
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-11-22 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 67.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 32.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-01-06 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McCormick County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | MT CARMEL | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 25, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | MC CORMICK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | MC CORMICK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 21, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jan 6, 1962 | 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
An NWS Greenville-Spartanburg storm survey confirmed a brief tornado touched down in Bobby Brown State Park in Elbert County, downing trees across Bobby Brown State Park Road and intensifying as it crossed Ranger Road. Dozens of trees were snapped and uprooted as the tornado approached a cove along the Savannah River. Some structural damage to pavilions occurred at the Bobby Brown Recreational Center. Tree damage was observed across the river in McCormick County SC, with some uprooted trees and large limbs broken. It is unknown how far into McCormick County the tornado may have traveled due to lack of roads on US Army Corps of Engineers property.
A line of severe thunderstorms produced widespread wind damage across McCormick|County, SC on the evening of July 20, 2023. Hamilton Branch State Park, along the|shore of Lake J. Strom Thurmond, was particularly hard hit, likely due to enhancement|of winds over the lake. ||South Carolina State Parks estimated that approximately 18 trees were snapped or|uprooted and blocking roadways in the park, with numerous other trees downed in|wooded areas. No injuries. ||A National Weather Service storm survey determined that the damage was the result of thunderstorm winds, and not a tornado. Peak wind speeds were estimated to be around 75 mph.
Numerous trees were downed across the county from the Savannah Lakes Village south to near the Georgia state line on Hwy 28 S. Over 70 trees were downed onto roadways. One tree fell on a vehicle at an unknown location. No reported injuries.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,760
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
21
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 McCormick County, South Carolina?
225 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McCormick County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 151 recorded events — 67.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McCormick County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McCormick County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McCormick County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McCormick County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McCormick County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McCormick 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
- Lexington County 1,273
- Marion County 319
- Lee County 236
- Marlboro County 322
- Laurens County 543
- Newberry County 584
Cite this page
“McCormick County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/mccormick-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.