Clarendon County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 474 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #967 nationally and #25 in South Carolina.
474
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$15.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Clarendon County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clarendon County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 422 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clarendon County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $11.4M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Clarendon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 293 | 1 | $865K | 85 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 116 | 0 | $176K | 4.25 | 1974–2025 |
| Tornado | 38 | 2 | $3.4M | F2 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $11.4M | 7 | 1999–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2010–2017 |
| Lightning | 3 | 2 | $60K | 0 | 1997–2000 |
Decade by decade
Clarendon 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
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-08-28 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-22 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 17.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 41.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-12-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clarendon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 1988 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 22, 1958 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 18, 2000 | Lightning | MANNING | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2000 | Lightning | SUMMERTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 29, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jan 14, 2006 | Tornado | MANNING | 0 | 18 | $500K |
| Sep 27, 2004 | Tornado | ALCOLU | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 23, 1997 | Tornado | TURBEVILLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong F1 tornado touched down just west of Manning and continued NNE to Alcolu. Six mobile homes were completely destroyed, 9 had moderate damage, 16 had minor damage, 2 framed homes had minor damage and many trees and powerlines were down. There were 18 injuries, 9 of which were sent to the hospital,4 of which were kept for a few days and released.
Tropical Storm Kyle produced 4 to 10 inches of rain over easter Clarendon county closing roads in low lying areas. The most serious damage occurred in Chitwood Mobile Home Park just outside of Manning where 17 mobile homes were heavily damaged by high water, forcing about 50 persons to move to shelters.
Public reported wind damage at Olive Grove Church, and nearby area, near Turbeville. Submitted photos of damage included a downed tree and numerous downed tree limbs, damage to columns at the church, toppled brick signs and tombstones, significant damage to metal buildings, carports, fences, playground equipment, etc. Some small hail was still on the ground the next morning.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,986
Population (ACS)
$158K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Sep 29, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Manning 125
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clarendon County, South Carolina?
474 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $15.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clarendon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 293 recorded events — 61.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clarendon County?
39 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 Clarendon County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clarendon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clarendon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clarendon County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clarendon 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
- Chesterfield County 454
- Colleton County 1,159
- Chester County 321
- Darlington County 535
- Cherokee County 417
- Dillon County 267
Cite this page
“Clarendon County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/clarendon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.