66
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$3.7M
Property damage
Lightning in Beaufort County, South Carolina: 66 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #16 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Beaufort County, South Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Beaufort County is the 2020s, when 26 of the county's 66 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Beaufort County archive, lightning makes up 7.7% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #16 for this hazard and #1 within South Carolina, putting it in the 99.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Beaufort County with 27 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2007 | HILTON HEAD IS | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2002 | DAUFUSKIE IS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 1998 | HILTON HEAD IS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | FOREST BEACH | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2022 | FOLLY FIELD | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2020 | BAILEYS LNDG | 0 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Jul 27, 2009 | GRAYS HILL | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2001 | HILTON HEAD IS | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2025 | HILTON HEAD IS | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 11, 2025 | FOREST BEACH | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 10, 2025 | BLUFFTON | 0 | $25K |
| Jul 10, 2025 | BLUFFTON | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 10, 2025 | FOREST BEACH | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | FOREST BEACH | 0 | $0 |
| May 25, 2025 | BURTON | 0 | $25K |
| May 25, 2025 | GRAYS HILL | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 21, 2024 | FOREST BEACH | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 19, 2024 | PRITCHARDVILLE | 0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Beaufort County
- Thunderstorm Wind 575
- Hail 133
- Flash Flood 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Beaufort County Emergency Manager reported that a male was struck by lightning in a house at 324 Old Oak Road. The individual was working inside a house under construction when lightning struck the house, causing moderate damage to an exterior wall. The individual was leaning against the wall, had no visible injuries, but was shaken up. He walked to the ambulance under his own power.
Beaufort County Sheriff's Office reported a couple of homes struck by lightning around the Beaufort area. One home that was struck was located on Isabelle Boulevard near Parris Island Gateway and the other was at 3060 Mink Point Boulevard. The degree of damage to the homes is unknown.
Beaufort County Emergency Management reported that a woman was struck by lightning on the beach at Hilton Head near Palmetto Dunes. The woman was struck on the shoulder with distinct entrance and exit wounds. The woman stopped breathing but was successfully revived with CPR. Three people standing approximately 15 feet away from the victim observed their hair stand on end before the strike and were knocked to the ground by the jolt, but uninjured.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Beaufort County, South Carolina?
66 lightning events are recorded in Beaufort County between 1996 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Beaufort County?
The strongest lightning on record in Beaufort County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Beaufort County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Lightning in Beaufort County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/beaufort-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.