Spartanburg County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 1,079 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #113 nationally and #6 in South Carolina.
1,079
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
126
Direct injuries
$55.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Spartanburg County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Spartanburg County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 14.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 293 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 137 events fall before 1990 and 942 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Spartanburg County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $21.3M 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 Spartanburg County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 582 | 0 | $9.9M | 80 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 349 | 0 | $15.4M | 4 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 2 | $6.8M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 35 | 4 | $21.3M | F4 | 1952–2024 |
| Lightning | 34 | 2 | $1.8M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $525K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1999–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2006 |
Decade by decade
Spartanburg 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
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-05 | EF4 | 2 | 35 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-05-10 | EF3 | 2 | 4 | 22.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-08-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 40 | 60.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-02-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 13 | 45.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 39 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Spartanburg County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | Tornado | 2 | 35 | $2.5M | |
| May 10, 1952 | Tornado | 2 | 4 | $30 | |
| Oct 1, 2015 | Flash Flood | SAXON | 1 | 1 | $200K |
| Aug 29, 2007 | Lightning | SPARTANBURG | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | LANDRUM | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Aug 22, 2006 | Lightning | LYMAN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 39 | $2.5M | |
| May 27, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 16 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
County comms and FD reported significant flash flooding developed on the north side of the city of Spartanburg after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in only a couple of hours. Multiple roads were closed due to poor drainage flooding and due to Chinquapin Creek and other small tributaries overflowing their banks. A 56-year-old woman drowned in her vehicle when she drove into water on New Cut Rd. A man was injured when he drove his truck into a collapsed culvert on Hayne St near Ethel Rd. Water from Chinquapin Creek entered homes on Pearson St. Water from an overflowing tributary of Lawsons Fork Creek entered about a dozen apartment units at USC Upstate. Closed roads included Asheville Highway, Howard St, Valley Falls Rd, New Cut Rd and I-85 Business. Wet soil and erosion caused a tree to fell on a home in the Una Community.
Stream gauges across the Pacolet River basin indicated flash flooding developed after 10-15 inches of rain fell across northern Spartanburg County over three days, with even heavier rainfall occurring over the headwaters in the mountains. The North Pacolet inundated several roads in the north part of the county, including Highway 14, roads near the water treatment plant. Several tributaries of also overflowed their banks, including Buck Creek, which inundated several secondary roads, and Lawsons Fork Creek in Spartanburg, which overflowed onto Heathwood Dr and Lake Forest Dr, as well as at least one private drive. Additionally, the South Pacolet flooded areas of Depot St and Highway 11 in Campobello, while backwater effects into Motlow Creek caused inundation of Old Mill Rd. Other tributaries flooded throughout the norther part of the county, including a tributary of Dillard Creek, which flooded East Howell Rd in Greer. An 88-year-old male was killed when his vehicle was submerged in floodwater near Landrum.
A large manufacturing building under construction (about 90 percent complete) near the highway 11/I-26 intersection collapsed due to strong winds. Some construction equipment was heavily damaged or destroyed by the collapsing building. Large tree limbs were also blown down nearby.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
347,852
Population (ACS)
$233K
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
- Spartanburg 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Spartanburg County, South Carolina?
1,079 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 8 direct deaths and $55.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Spartanburg County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 582 recorded events — 53.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Spartanburg County?
39 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Spartanburg County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Spartanburg County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Spartanburg County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Spartanburg County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Spartanburg 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
- Saluda County 316
- Sumter County 640
- Richland County 1,414
- Union County 351
- Pickens County 576
- Williamsburg County 273
Cite this page
“Spartanburg County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/spartanburg-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.