75
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Orangeburg County, South Carolina: 75 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #135 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Orangeburg County, South Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Orangeburg County is the 2010s, when 15 of the county's 75 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Orangeburg County archive, tornado makes up 8.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #135 for this hazard and #1 within South Carolina, putting it in the 95.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Orangeburg County with 16 recorded events, while Dec is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 35.7 mi | 770 yd | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF3 | 34.5 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 37.9 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
| 2008-03-15 | EF3 | 10.1 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 2004-12-10 | EF3 | 1.5 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-23 | EF3 | 33.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-10-22 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF2 | 10.2 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF2 | 10.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-08 | EF2 | 1.3 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | SPRINGFIELD | EF3 | 2 | 7 | $0 |
| Dec 5, 1977 | F1 | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 7, 1995 | Orangeburg | F1 | 0 | 3 | $200K |
| May 15, 1976 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Apr 8, 1983 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Dec 10, 2004 | ORANGEBURG | F3 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 1963 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | EUTAW SPGS | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | DORANGE | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | DORANGE | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | PROVIDENCE | EF1 | $0 |
| Sep 26, 2024 | ROWESVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Jan 4, 2023 | WOODFORD | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | BRANCHVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | BOWMAN | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | BRANCHVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2021 | JAMISON | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Orangeburg County
- Thunderstorm Wind 543
- Hail 207
- Flash Flood 66
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong, long-track tornado began just south of the town of Elko in Barnwell Co SC where it was rated as EF-1, then moved in a general northeast direction through Orangeburg Co SC, where it reached EF-3 intensity and caused 2 fatalities and 7 injuries. The tornado dissipated shortly after crossing into Calhoun Co SC southwest of St. Matthews before reaching I-26. ||The tornado downed numerous trees along its path. It crossed Norway Rd where it snapped multiple power poles. As the tornado reached Fire Tower Rd west of Neeses, it intensified further, destroying 3 anchored manufactured homes on Preserver Rd near Ninety Six Rd. It was in this area that the 2 known fatalities occurred to residents in a double-wide manufactured home. ||The tornado then turned more eastward, crossing Savannah Hwy (US Hwy 321) and Dragstrip Rd north of Livingston. There were several homes or manufactured homes that were heavily damaged or destroyed in this area. The tornado gradually weakened as it crossed North Rd (US Hwy 178) and crossed into Calhoun Co.
NWS storm survey found an EF1 tornado that began near Ayshire Road and Ebenezer Road. The tornado continued to move southeast across Ebenezer Road between 4 Holes Farm Road and Duncan Chape Road. The tornado continued into Dorchester County. Numerous trees and powerlines were down and three homes were damaged. Five homes had moderate damage and 28 agricultural buildings were badly damaged or destroyed.
An F2 tornado did major damage to a horse farm and race track. Several of the horses were injured. Debris from the horse farm was found as far as 3 miles away. Major damage was also done to a home and a couple of mobile homes. Minor damage was also done to a couple of mobile and permanent homes.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Orangeburg County, South Carolina?
75 tornado events are recorded in Orangeburg County between 1953 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Orangeburg County?
The strongest tornado on record in Orangeburg County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Orangeburg County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Orangeburg County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/orangeburg-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.