Greenville County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 1,176 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #82 nationally and #4 in South Carolina.
1,176
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
43
Direct injuries
$32.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Greenville County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Greenville County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 15.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 373 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 132 events fall before 1990 and 1,044 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Greenville County, South Carolina record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $16.9M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Greenville County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 575 | 3 | $4.1M | 85 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 429 | 0 | $606K | 3 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 83 | 2 | $8.7M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 37 | 0 | $16.9M | F3 | 1952–2024 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2013 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2013 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Greenville 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
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-05-10 | EF3 | 2 | 4 | 22.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 40 | 60.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 33.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-03-23 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Greenville County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2014 | Flash Flood | BRANDON | 2 | 0 | $1.5M |
| Mar 15, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREER | 1 | 3 | $100K |
| Aug 20, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREENVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 27, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 24, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 11, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| May 27, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | TAYLORS | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
NWS storm survey found the path of an EF2 tornado across the north side of Greenville, beginning just east of Cherrydale Point and moving east/southeast across Pleasantburg Dr, Rutherford Rd, and Wade Hampton Blvd, then crossing through a residential area between Wade Hampton Blvd and E North St before lifting. Roofs were blown off a hotel and restaurant on Rutherford Rd and several other businesses received minor to moderate roof damage along Wade Hampton Blvd. Otherwise numerous hardwoods were snapped and some partially debarked. Several homes and multiple vehicles were damaged by falling trees.
A thunderstorm developed over the headwaters of the Reedy River during the morning, then remained nearly stationary for several hours, producing rainfall of 4 to 9 inches in approximately 4 hours. This resulted in major flooding in areas from Berea to downtown Greenville. The Reedy River reached 19.2 feet in downtown Greenville, the second highest level on record. Several businesses along the river in downtown incurred major damage, as did numerous homes in the Berea and Sans Souci areas. At least 30 homes were condemned. Numerous roads and bridges were damaged or washed out. Hundreds of vehicles were damaged or destroyed. Flooding was much less severe on the east side of the metro area, although the Enoree River and several of its tributaries, including Brushy Creek, did overflow their banks.
Although rainfall rates steadily decreased across Greenville County through the evening hours flooding persisted within the Saluda Enoree and Reedy River basins well into the overnight hours. Major flooding developed along the Saluda River during this time from west Greenville to Piedmont to West Pelzer with water inundating several homes and numerous roads flooded. This was the most significant flooding along that portion of the Saluda since October 1964, while Reedy River flooding in the Greenville area was the worst since September 2004. Flooding ended in most areas during the pre-dawn hours of the 7th although river flooding persisted along the Saluda River through the evening of the 7th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
548,166
Population (ACS)
$299K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 23, 2025 | Fire | TABLE ROCK FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| Sep 29, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Greenville 132
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Greenville County, South Carolina?
1,176 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $32.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Greenville County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 575 recorded events — 48.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Greenville County?
40 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 Greenville County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Greenville County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Greenville County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Greenville County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Greenville 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
- Georgetown County 397
- Greenwood County 417
- Florence County 628
- Hampton County 396
- Fairfield County 425
- Horry County 1,020
Cite this page
“Greenville County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/greenville-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.