Georgetown County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 397 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,267 nationally and #30 in South Carolina.
397
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
36
Direct injuries
$10.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Georgetown County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Georgetown County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 140 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 367 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Georgetown County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Georgetown County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 173 | 0 | $862K | 75 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 97 | 0 | $134K | 4.5 | 1982–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 46 | 1 | $2.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 6 | $4.0M | F2 | 1953–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 1 | $1.5M | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Lightning | 17 | 1 | $624K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Flood | 14 | 1 | $65K | 0 | 2001–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Waterspout | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1998 |
| Rip Current | 2 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2004 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Georgetown 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
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 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 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-10-11 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-09-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-09-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Georgetown County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 1974 | Tornado | 6 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jul 4, 2019 | Lightning | OLIN | 1 | 12 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2018 | Flash Flood | PLANTERSVILLE | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Sep 6, 2008 | Heavy Rain | ANDREWS | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 25, 2004 | Rip Current | MURRELLS INLET | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 20, 2001 | Flood | GEORGETOWN | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Jun 3, 1997 | Rip Current | PAWLEYS IS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 11, 2002 | Tornado | GEORGETOWN | 0 | 8 | $750K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy, in conjunction with a weak upper level disturbance in the Caribbean set up an unusually long and sustained fetch of tropical moisture over the area. The heaviest rain occurred from about 20 miles from the coast, where between 6 and 8 inches fell over a two day period on average, with isolated amounts over 12 inches were observed near the city of Georgetown. Some residents in Georgetown county said the flooding was the worst they had ever experienced. Many roads were under water and impassable. Much of the damage was due to the cost of repairing roads that were completely washed out. Several homes had several feet of water in them on Highmarket St., and many businesses had minor water damage.
Tornado touched down with strong F2 damage near the corner of Merriman and Emanuel Roads, destroying 5 manufactured homes, a car and 2 houses before continuing NE with scattered F1 damage…described as major to a total of 28 structures and minor to 78 more…including homes, businesses, churches and also trees as it traveled a mile through residential streets. The tornado continued another 0.25 mile with F0 damage to trees before moving out over marshland. Eight people were hospitalized for minor injuries, where they were treated and released.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon passed over Georgetown county. Based on spotter reports and radar estimates, over 8 inches of rain fell in a short period of time in the town of Georgetown. Numerous streets were reported flooded by emergency managers, and newspaper accounts illustrated standing water in excess of 2-3 feet in many areas. Many motorists had to abandon their cars due to the rising water, with many automobiles sustaining water damage. Numerous homes also sustained flood damage, particularly along Hawkins Street. Most businesses were forced to close for the day along Front and Fraser Streets, an area that was particularly hard hit with flooding. Only one injury was reported when a policeman had a heart attack after the flood waters entered his home. He was treated and released from a local hospital.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
64,811
Population (ACS)
$290K
Median home value
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Nov 21, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Georgetown 124
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Georgetown County, South Carolina?
397 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 12 direct deaths and $10.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Georgetown County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 173 recorded events — 43.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Georgetown County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Georgetown County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Georgetown County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Georgetown County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Georgetown County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Georgetown 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
- Florence County 628
- Greenville County 1,176
- Fairfield County 425
- Greenwood County 417
- Edgefield County 321
- Hampton County 396
Cite this page
“Georgetown County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/georgetown-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.