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Horry County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 1,020 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #136 nationally and #7 in South Carolina.
1,020
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
136
Direct injuries
$59.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Horry County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Horry County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 14.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 381 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 942 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Horry County, South Carolina record is rip current, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $22.8M 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 Horry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 401 | 1 | $4.6M | 95 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 342 | 0 | $598K | 4.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 105 | 4 | $12.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 60 | 0 | $22.8M | F3 | 1955–2023 |
| Lightning | 46 | 1 | $8.6M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 32 | 0 | $10.0M | 0 | 2012–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $550K | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Waterspout | 6 | 0 | $0 | 50 | 1996–1999 |
| Rip Current | 3 | 6 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2005 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2001 |
Decade by decade
Horry 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
59 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 54 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-11-24 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-08-17 | EF3 | 0 | 46 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-06 | EF2 | 0 | 39 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-11-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 16 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-09-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-12-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-12-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 14.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Horry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2018 | Flash Flood | CAMP SWAMP | 2 | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 23, 2005 | Rip Current | MYRTLE BEACH | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2005 | Rip Current | MYRTLE BEACH | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2004 | Rip Current | MYRTLE BEACH | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 1998 | Lightning | NIXONS XRDS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2018 | Flash Flood | GREEN SEA | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Mar 20, 2001 | Flash Flood | SURFSIDE BEACH | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 21, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A low pressure system caused heavy showers and wind gusts 30 to 50 mph that downed a few powerlines…but widespread rainwater flooding along the Grand Strand caused more serious problems. Radar rainfall estimates and local reports indicated 2-4 inches of rain in a couple of hours, and 6 inches to 2 feet of water flooded many roads and intersections. Police reported 30 roads were barricaded. A 7 year old boy drowned when he ventured into a flooded ditch along Sycamore Street near the entrance of Sea Gate Village.
Around 15 inches of rain fell over a few days on the basins to the Waccamaw River at Conway. The river subsequently rose to a major flood, cresting at 16.20 feet, the third highest crest of all time, and the highest crest since Hurricane Floyd. Over 400 homes were inundated, with evacuations necessary.
As a weak cold front moved south into an afternoon sea breeze boundary, slow-moving thunderstorms developed along the Horry county coast. An F0 tornado briefly touched down at 9th Ave N near the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, and soon after a waterspout formed just off the beach near 3rd Ave N. It slightly damaged the 2nd Ave N pier and then moved over the beach as it developed more strongly, causing F2 damage – overturned buses and extensive damage to vehicles and hotels along the beach to about 4nd Ave S. Moving off the beach again, the waterspout continued south about 100 yards from the shore until it came ashore between 28th Ave S and Springmaid Pier…causing a 66 knot gust over water at the Springmaid Pier anemometer. As it moved through the Seagate RV park, it did F1 damage – destroyed 10 RVs and damaged 40 more. Weakening further, the tornado crossed US Hwy Business 17 onto Myrtle Beach International Airport, doing F0 damage to trees and structures.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
383,016
Population (ACS)
$288K
Median home value
34
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 7, 2025 | Fire | COVINGTON DRIVE FIRE | FM |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Conway 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Horry County, South Carolina?
1,020 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 12 direct deaths and $59.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Horry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 401 recorded events — 39.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Horry County?
59 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 54 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Horry County?
34 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Horry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Horry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Horry County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Horry 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
- Hampton County 396
- Jasper County 483
- Greenwood County 417
- Kershaw County 501
- Greenville County 1,176
- Lancaster County 507
Cite this page
“Horry County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/horry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.