Lee County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 236 recorded events between 1962 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,206 nationally and #45 in South Carolina.
236
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$478K
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 209 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $262K 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 Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 161 | 0 | $262K | 70 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $60K | 4 | 1967–2024 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $95K | F2 | 1962–2010 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Lee 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
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-10-01 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-02-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| May 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | BISHOPVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 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
EM reported numerous trees down and minor damage to a roof and other out buildings from Red Hill road and Hwy 441 to Green Lane, Williamson Road, Rambert Church Road, and US 15. The downburst wind damage was widespread and lasted eight minutes with a relatively slow moving thunderstorm that also produced a weak EF0 tornado just west of the downburst area.
Storm Survey and Emergency Manager found moderate to major damage to several homes, mobile homes, and a church in the Ashwood and Red Hill areas on Green Ln, Taproot, Day Lilly, and other secondary roads. Numerous trees and powerlines were down in the Lynchburg area.
An area of strong thunderstorms moved across northeastern South Carolina causing considerable damage from large hail, thunderstorm winds, flooding, and lightning. At Byrdtown in eastern Darlington County, lightning hit a home knocking bricks off front and rear sides and setting the house afire. Lightning also heavily damaged a mobile home in Bennettsville and a home at Pecan Point near Mullins. Numerous electrical power outages were reported in Marion, Darlington, Dillon, and Florence Counties during the mid and late afternoon, including more than 3,000 outages occurred in the Hartsville and Society Hill areas.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,166
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
25
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, South Carolina?
236 events are on record between 1962 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $478K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 161 recorded events — 68.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lee County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Laurens County 543
- Lexington County 1,273
- Lancaster County 507
- McCormick County 225
- Kershaw County 501
- Marion County 319
Cite this page
“Lee County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.