Oconee County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 612 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #556 nationally and #17 in South Carolina.
612
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$109.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Oconee County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Oconee County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 9.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 202 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 561 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Oconee County, South Carolina record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $107.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Oconee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 328 | 0 | $1.1M | 69 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 206 | 0 | $500K | 3 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 1 | $107.0M | F3 | 1973–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $491K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $751K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1999–2013 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $43K | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Oconee 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
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 16.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 0 | 37 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 10.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-08-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Oconee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | Tornado | OAKWAY | 1 | 5 | $100.0M |
| Mar 27, 1994 | Tornado | Long Creek to 1 E Pic | 0 | 12 | $5.0M |
| Sep 6, 2014 | Lightning | MOUNTAIN REST | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2011 | Lightning | BATTLE CREEK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jan 19, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walhalla | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Jun 26, 1994 | Tornado | Pickett Post | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Feb 10, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jul 16, 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
NWS storm survey found the path of a weak tornado on the north side of Seneca. The tornado touched down near the intersection of Keowee School Rd and Blue Ridge Blvd, where a vehicle was flipped, a business lost part of its roof and a radio tower was damaged. From that point, the tornado moved northeast south of South Cove Rd before lifting near Elclay Dr. Damage east of the initial point of touchdown was limited to multiple snapped or uprooted trees.
Levi Lane, Debra Lane, and Seed Farm Road were all washed out, and numerous other roads were closed due to flooding, mainly in areas from Walhalla south to between Seneca and Westminster. Most of the flooding was due to poor drainage, but some of it was likely due to flooding streams. Closed roads included E Halfway Branch, Antebellum, Avondale, Mauldin Mill, Sertoma Field, and Camp.
Law enforcement officials reported flash flooding developed after a swatch of 5 to 8 inches of rain, most of which fell in around 6 hours developed across mainly central Oconee County. Numerous roads were reported flooded due to a combination of small stream and drainage flooding. Several vehicles were reportedly submerged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
80,469
Population (ACS)
$237K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Oconee County, South Carolina?
612 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $109.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Oconee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 328 recorded events — 53.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Oconee County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 28 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Oconee County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Oconee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Oconee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oconee County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Oconee 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
- Newberry County 584
- Orangeburg County 922
- Marlboro County 322
- Pickens County 576
- Marion County 319
- Richland County 1,414
Cite this page
“Oconee County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/oconee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.