Richland County, South Carolina severe weather history spans 1,414 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #45 nationally and #1 in South Carolina.
1,414
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
75
Direct injuries
$52.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Richland County, South Carolina severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Richland County, South Carolina severe weather history averages 19.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 576 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 128 events fall before 1990 and 1,286 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Richland County, South Carolina record is flash flood, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $30.8M 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 Richland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 812 | 3 | $3.4M | 103 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 238 | 9 | $30.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 231 | 0 | $41K | 3 | 1959–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 45 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Tornado | 43 | 1 | $12.5M | F2 | 1955–2026 |
| Lightning | 24 | 0 | $4.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 2012–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2016 |
Decade by decade
Richland 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
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 touched down inside it and 6 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 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 27.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-05-15 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-07 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-12 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-08-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-01-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Richland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2015 | Flash Flood | WOODLAND TERRACE | 2 | 20 | $10.0M |
| Oct 7, 2015 | Flash Flood | (MMT)MC ENTIRE ANG | 2 | 5 | $100K |
| May 15, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Oct 4, 2015 | Flash Flood | CAPITOL VIEW | 1 | 1 | $20K |
| Oct 4, 2015 | Flash Flood | DENTSVILLE | 1 | 1 | $15K |
| Oct 4, 2015 | Flash Flood | PERRY | 1 | 1 | $100K |
| Oct 4, 2015 | Flash Flood | DENNY TERRACE | 1 | 1 | $800K |
| Oct 4, 2015 | Flash Flood | ST ANDREWS | 1 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread flooding along Gills Creek through Devine Street…Fort Jackson Blvd…Wildcat Road and Garners Ferry Road area. Numerous water rescues and buildings flooded. One building partially collapsed. The stream gage along Gills Creek was destroyed. Peak stage along Gills Creek determined by USGS from high water marks to be 19.6 feet. Flood Stage is 6.7 feet. 2 Fatalities occurred in this area. One fatality occurred at Gills Creek and Devine Street. The second fatality occurred at Kilbourne Road and Gills Creek. The roadway was flooded due to upstream dam failures and heavy rainfall.
Five railroad repair workers driving along Congaree Road plunged into the water of Cabin Creek because the roadway had been washed out. Sheriffs spokesman said that the barricade was in the wrong lane. The accident occurred at 145 AM EDT on the 7th.
One person drowned in their vehicle when it stalled in flood waters along Sunset Drive near the stream Smith Branch. The person drowned at approximately 654 am EDT. The stream gage just upstream from the fatality crested at 18.93 feet at 0607 am EDT. Flood stage is 9.0 feet.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
422,117
Population (ACS)
$243K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Nov 21, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Columbia 433
- Olympia Mills 310
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Richland County, South Carolina?
1,414 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $52.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Richland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 812 recorded events — 57.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Richland County?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Richland County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Richland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Richland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Richland County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 93 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Richland 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
- Pickens County 576
- Saluda County 316
- Orangeburg County 922
- Spartanburg County 1,079
- Oconee County 612
- Sumter County 640
Cite this page
“Richland County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/richland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.