Cherokee County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 417 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,188 nationally and #28 in South Carolina.
417
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$10.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Cherokee County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cherokee County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 128 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 371 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cherokee County, South Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.8M 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 Cherokee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 251 | 2 | $1.6M | 70 | 1970–2026 |
| Hail | 119 | 0 | $1.1M | 2.75 | 1976–2025 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $6.8M | F4 | 1954–2020 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $134K | 0 | 2003–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $90K | 0 | 1999–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2020–2020 |
Decade by decade
Cherokee 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
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-05 | EF4 | 2 | 35 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 40 | 60.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 13 | 45.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-05-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 21.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cherokee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | GAFFNEY | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| Jul 4, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | THICKETTY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 28, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 28, 2005 | Lightning | BLACKSBURG | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 7, 2023 | Lightning | GAFFNEY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2012 | Lightning | GAFFNEY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 11, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLACKSBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 25, 1996 | Lightning | BLACKSBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple sources reported multiple trees blown down from the north side of Gaffney northeast along Highway 18. One tree fell on a house and another fell on a mobile home on E Jefferies St in Gaffney. A 78-year-old occupant of the mobile home was killed while sitting on the porch.
This tornado caused substantial damage to homes and a couple of churches. It crossed Interstate 85 and then moved into North Carolina. The vortex was clearly visible to many people in the area as it moved along the base of a small mountain at Blacksburg.
This tornado touched down briefly and caused severe damage to a large well-constructed home. Otherwise, damage was limited to trees, powerlines, and outbuildings. The tornado moved northwest along a 3-mile track before dissipating.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
56,647
Population (ACS)
$142K
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
- Gaffney 140
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cherokee County, South Carolina?
417 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $10.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cherokee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 251 recorded events — 60.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cherokee County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cherokee County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cherokee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cherokee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cherokee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cherokee 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
- Charleston County 1,351
- Chester County 321
- Calhoun County 327
- Chesterfield County 454
- Berkeley County 959
- Clarendon County 474
Cite this page
“Cherokee County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/cherokee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.