47
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$1.3M
Property damage
Lightning in Charleston County, South Carolina: 47 recorded events between 1998 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #49 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Charleston County, South Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Charleston County is the 2010s, when 20 of the county's 47 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 Charleston County archive, lightning makes up 3.5% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #49 for this hazard and #2 within South Carolina, putting it in the 98.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Charleston County with 21 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2005 | JOHNS IS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2001 | SULLIVANS IS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2017 | ISLE OF PALMS ARPT | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2018 | ISLE OF PALMS ARPT | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2012 | THE GROVES | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2010 | DRAYTON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2009 | ASHLEY HALL | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2001 | ISLE OF PALMS | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2025 | HOBCAW PT | 0 | $3K |
| Jul 11, 2025 | ST ANDREWS | 0 | $20K |
| Jun 15, 2025 | PARKERS FERRY | 0 | $1K |
| May 19, 2024 | AWENDAW | 0 | $5K |
| Sep 1, 2022 | PINECREST | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 1, 2022 | PINECREST | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 1, 2022 | MORRIS ACRES | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 23, 2022 | PHILIP | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 12, 2022 | AWENDAW | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 9, 2022 | (CHS)CHARLESTON AFB | 0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Charleston County
- Thunderstorm Wind 619
- Hail 300
- Flash Flood 296
- Tornado 61
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The St Andrews Fire Department reported three homes struck by lightning on James Island. Minor damage was reported to homes on Ocean Neighbors Blvd and Teal Avenue. Significant roof and attic damage was reported to a home on Peas Hill Road.
Charleston County dispatch reported that 4 people were injured by a nearby lightning strike on the boardwalk to the beach near Ocean Point Drive in the Wild Dunes area. The 4 injured people were transported to the hospital.
A 32 year old man experienced a double jolt from lightening within a 10 minute span. The man was driving a Toyota pickup when a bolt of lightning struck his CB antenna. This caused the antenna to pop off, it broke out the rear window on the cab and blew out the left rear tire. When he stopped the truck to get out to assess the damage, a second bolt of lightning hit the bed of the pickup and the force threw him out into the roadway.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Charleston County, South Carolina?
47 lightning events are recorded in Charleston County between 1998 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Charleston County?
The strongest lightning on record in Charleston County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Charleston 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 Charleston County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/charleston-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.