Berkeley County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 959 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #162 nationally and #8 in South Carolina.
959
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
51
Direct injuries
$14.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Berkeley County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Berkeley County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 12.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 335 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 66 events fall before 1990 and 893 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Berkeley County, South Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.5M 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 Berkeley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 470 | 0 | $982K | 78 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 335 | 0 | $14K | 2.5 | 1968–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 73 | 1 | $4.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 39 | 1 | $8.5M | F2 | 1950–2024 |
| Lightning | 26 | 1 | $445K | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2012 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2024–2025 |
Decade by decade
Berkeley 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
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 1 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 | 0 | 6 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-10 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 10.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-09-03 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 7 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Berkeley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1998 | Tornado | LADSON | 1 | 7 | $5.0M |
| Jun 30, 2004 | Lightning | MONCKS CORNER | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 22, 2000 | Flash Flood | NORTH PORTION | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Sep 3, 1998 | Tornado | MONCKS CORNER | 0 | 9 | $2.8M |
| Mar 16, 2008 | Tornado | MT HOLLY | 0 | 7 | $150K |
| Apr 13, 2020 | Tornado | MONCKS CORNER | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | MONCKS CORNER | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | Tornado | MONCKS CORNER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
After two brief earler touchdowns in Dorchester County, the supercell crossed Interstate 26 into Berkeley County where the most extensive damage occurred. There were 442 homes damaged (17 destroyed, 113 major damage, and the remainder had minor damage. Areas hardest hit were Frankie Lane and Royale Road, where numerous mobile homes were located. There was a 90 year old female who was injured severely when her mobile home was flipped and throuwn more than 40 feet. She died several hours later. Several eye witnesses reported seeing vortices rotating around the main funnel. This fact was born out by the damage pattern in several areas.
Law enforcement reported several roads closed due to flooding. Roads closed included Jedburg Road at a bridge between Riley Lane and Ernies Way, Old Whitesville Road and Cypress Gardens road from Old Highway 52 to the boat landing. Rising water was also reported on the Interstate 26 on and off ramps at College Park Road. A tree was also reported down across Old Highway 52 near the Berkeley Country Club.
An emergency manager, law enforcement and the Coast Guard reported several roads closed and swift water rescues being made due to flooding between Huger, SC and Cainhoy, SC. Swift water rescues were underway in the Cainhoy area where cars were also reported floating in high water during early morning hours of October 4th. The Coast Guard released a video of an aerial rescue of a woman and infant child from a flooded house in Huger during the late morning hours of October 4th. The video also depicted widespread flooding of structures in the surrounding area. The intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 402 was also reported closed due to flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
246,802
Population (ACS)
$310K
Median home value
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Aug 31, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Moncks Corner 113
- Goose Creek 104
- Carnes Xrd 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Berkeley County, South Carolina?
959 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $14.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Berkeley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 470 recorded events — 49.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Berkeley County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Berkeley County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Berkeley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Berkeley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Berkeley County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Berkeley 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
- Beaufort County 856
- Calhoun County 327
- Barnwell County 309
- Charleston County 1,351
- Bamberg County 276
- Cherokee County 417
Cite this page
“Berkeley County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/berkeley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.