Newberry County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 584 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 71.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #630 nationally and #18 in South Carolina.
584
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
46
Direct injuries
$39.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Newberry County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Newberry County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 214 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 534 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Newberry County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $38.0M 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 Newberry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 416 | 0 | $697K | 80 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 111 | 0 | $10K | 2 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 39 | 2 | $38.0M | F3 | 1957–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $298K | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $38K | 0 | 2015–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2012 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Newberry 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
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 5 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 |
| 1973-12-13 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 17.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 27.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-13 | EF3 | 0 | 26 | 17.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-03-28 | EF2 | 1 | 38 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-12-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-03-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Newberry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1984 | Tornado | 1 | 38 | $25.0M | |
| Dec 13, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 15, 2008 | Tornado | TRINITY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 4, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | HELENA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Storm Survey with Sheriff found numerous trees down from a microburst and an EF1 tornado from the northwest to northeast side of Silverstreet. One mobile home was destroyed, one was severely damaged, and there were no injuries.
Sheriff departments widespread flooding along secondary roads where streams overflowed. The fire department reported the highway 34 bridge closed from flooding at the county line. Columbia police reported several roads under 2 to 3 feet of water. Lexington reported a couple of secondary road closures from flooding. Newberry reported four roads closed due to flooding from Scotts Creek.
A NWS survey team surveyed damage off of Peak Rd in Pomaria in Newberry County where a strong supercell moved through the evening of November 8th, 2025. The survey found multiple large cedar trees that were either snapped or fully uprooted, mainly facing south or southeast in a divergent pattern. There was also extensive siding damage to the north side of a mobile home from wind-driven hail which was up to golf ball sized. The survey along with radar analysis determined that the wind damage was consistent with a strong downburst within the forward flank downdraft of the supercell with winds up to 85 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
38,435
Population (ACS)
$173K
Median home value
24
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 Newberry County, South Carolina?
584 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $39.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Newberry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 416 recorded events — 71.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Newberry County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Newberry County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Newberry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Newberry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Newberry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 62 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Newberry 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
- Marlboro County 322
- Oconee County 612
- Marion County 319
- Orangeburg County 922
- McCormick County 225
- Pickens County 576
Cite this page
“Newberry County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/newberry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.