Orangeburg County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 922 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #190 nationally and #9 in South Carolina.
922
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
45
Direct injuries
$31.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Orangeburg County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Orangeburg County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 12.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 288 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 102 events fall before 1990 and 820 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Orangeburg County, South Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $22.4M 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 Orangeburg County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 543 | 2 | $1.2M | 96 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 207 | 0 | $81K | 2.75 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 75 | 2 | $7.5M | F3 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 66 | 0 | $22.4M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2023 |
| Flood | 9 | 2 | $9K | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Lightning | 8 | 1 | $650K | 0 | 1996–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2020 |
Decade by decade
Orangeburg 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
80 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 73 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 2 | 7 | 35.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 34.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 37.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-03-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-12-10 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-10-22 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Orangeburg County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | Tornado | SPRINGFIELD | 2 | 7 | $0 |
| Nov 7, 2024 | Flood | ORANGEBURG ARPT | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | SANTEE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 30, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREAT BRANCH | 1 | 0 | $4K |
| Jul 5, 2008 | Lightning | EUTAWVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 5, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 12, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Apr 23, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | EUTAWVILLE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong, long-track tornado began just south of the town of Elko in Barnwell Co SC where it was rated as EF-1, then moved in a general northeast direction through Orangeburg Co SC, where it reached EF-3 intensity and caused 2 fatalities and 7 injuries. The tornado dissipated shortly after crossing into Calhoun Co SC southwest of St. Matthews before reaching I-26. ||The tornado downed numerous trees along its path. It crossed Norway Rd where it snapped multiple power poles. As the tornado reached Fire Tower Rd west of Neeses, it intensified further, destroying 3 anchored manufactured homes on Preserver Rd near Ninety Six Rd. It was in this area that the 2 known fatalities occurred to residents in a double-wide manufactured home. ||The tornado then turned more eastward, crossing Savannah Hwy (US Hwy 321) and Dragstrip Rd north of Livingston. There were several homes or manufactured homes that were heavily damaged or destroyed in this area. The tornado gradually weakened as it crossed North Rd (US Hwy 178) and crossed into Calhoun Co.
Record crest flooding occurred along the North Fork Edisto River as a result of heavy rain and upstream small pond and dam failures, causing several fatalities and damage to numerous structures in Orangeburg. The North Fork Edisto in Orangeburg rose from 7.00 feet at 12am EST on November 7th to a record crest of 15.34 feet at 1030pm on November 7th. The river remained in flood until November 10th. Two fatalities occurred in Orangeburg as a result of the river flooding. Damage occurred to the Walmart, CVS, and several other structures in downtown Orangeburg.
SC Dept of Natural Resources reported a likely weather-related fatality on Lake Marion. Six people were on a 30 foot pontoon boat heading to a landing at Lake Marion Resort and Marina in Orangeburg Co when strong winds, and waves estimated at 3 to 4 feet, associated with nearby thunderstorms, caused the boat to overturn. Five people were able to get out from underneath the boat but the sixth boater, a 59 year old male, was found unconscious and later pronounced dead. Two dogs were also lost. Time estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
83,253
Population (ACS)
$116K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jan 10, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 29, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Orangeburg 185
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Orangeburg County, South Carolina?
922 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths and $31.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Orangeburg County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 543 recorded events — 58.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Orangeburg County?
80 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 73 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Orangeburg County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Orangeburg County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Orangeburg County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Orangeburg County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Orangeburg 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
- Oconee County 612
- Pickens County 576
- Newberry County 584
- Richland County 1,414
- Marlboro County 322
- Saluda County 316
Cite this page
“Orangeburg County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/orangeburg-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.