Aiken County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 819 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #274 nationally and #12 in South Carolina.
819
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$9.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Aiken County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Aiken County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 11.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 281 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 74 events fall before 1990 and 745 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Aiken County, South Carolina record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Aiken County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 516 | 0 | $1.9M | 75 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 206 | 0 | $78K | 2.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 44 | 0 | $6.6M | F2 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $398K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $100 | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Lightning | 11 | 1 | $640K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $36K | 0 | 2013–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2021 |
| Heavy Snow | 1 | 0 | $0 | — | 2026–2026 |
Decade by decade
Aiken 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
45 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-07 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 37.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF3 | 0 | 14 | 14.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-03-13 | EF2 | 2 | 10 | 9.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Aiken County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 11, 2008 | Lightning | AIKEN | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2009 | Tornado | BEECH IS | 0 | 14 | $5.0M |
| Feb 24, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Dec 11, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW HOLLAND XRDS | 0 | 4 | $12K |
| Feb 22, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 4 | $1K |
| Jul 2, 2002 | Lightning | NEW HOLLAND | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Feb 25, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Apr 6, 2022 | Lightning | JACKSONVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The supercell coming out of Richmond county GA spawned another tornado in Aiken county that did widespread damage. Many homes and business were severely damaged. Numerous trees and powerlines were down and there were around a dozen minor injuries. The tornado tracked along hwy 278. There was also one indirect death of a man who crashed trying to avoid trees on the highway and was killed.
NWS storm survey confirmed an EF2 tornado touched down north of Wagener near the Aiken/Lexington county line. A two story home that was built up off the ground was destroyed and a brick home was severely damaged. Other homes also suffered damage. Many trees were down as well.
EM reported many trees down around N. Augusta. Several trailers were damaged on Tigerlilly Drive and Dafodill Lane from trees falling onto them. Several homes on Yardly Drive also had trees fall onto them. A well secured radio tower was bent over as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
174,160
Population (ACS)
$218K
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Aiken 151
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Aiken County, South Carolina?
819 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $9.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Aiken County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 516 recorded events — 63.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Aiken County?
45 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Aiken County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Aiken County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Aiken County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Aiken County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Aiken 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
- Abbeville County 274
- Allendale County 256
- Anderson County 860
- Bamberg County 276
- Barnwell County 309
- Beaufort County 856
Cite this page
“Aiken County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/aiken-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.