Fairfield County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 425 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 70.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,152 nationally and #27 in South Carolina.
425
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
75
Direct injuries
$29.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Fairfield County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fairfield County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 398 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fairfield County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.0M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Fairfield County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 299 | 0 | $468K | 75 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 87 | 0 | $167K | 1.75 | 1962–2024 |
| Tornado | 32 | 6 | $28.0M | F4 | 1983–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $519K | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Fairfield 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
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-03-28 | EF4 | 5 | 49 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-09-27 | EF2 | 1 | 13 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-12-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fairfield County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1984 | Tornado | 5 | 49 | $25.0M | |
| Sep 28, 2004 | Tornado | RIDGEWAY | 1 | 13 | $0 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 1, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | MITFORD | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 23, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorm moved from two miles south of Ridgeway to six miles southeast of Ridgeway. Trees down and power outages occurred with Highway 34 south of Ridgeway blocked by fallen trees. The thunderstorm spawned a small tornado near Centerfield where more extensive damage to trees, utilities were noted. Observer visually saw tornado lower to ground.
Sheriff departments in Lancaster, Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Fairfield counties reported considerable flash flooding in portions of their counties. Many streams were overflowing roads, bridges, and flooding low lying areas.
NWS storm survey followed up on reports of trees down from the utility company and postal carriers. Many trees were down along the path and minor damage was done to a home and out-buildings at 1517 Clowney road. The tornado peaked about a quarter of a mile west of the home as an EF1.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,550
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
23
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fairfield County, South Carolina?
425 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $29.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fairfield County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 299 recorded events — 70.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fairfield County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fairfield County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fairfield County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fairfield County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fairfield County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fairfield 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
- Edgefield County 321
- Florence County 628
- Dorchester County 801
- Georgetown County 397
- Dillon County 267
- Greenville County 1,176
Cite this page
“Fairfield County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/fairfield-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.