South Carolina hail
Every recorded hail report since 1955 · 46 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 6,692 hail reports in South Carolina from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 189 a year since 2000. The costliest was the May 25, 2000 hail ($51.4 million in 2025 dollars). South Carolina ranks 22nd of 52 states and territories by count and 9th of 51 per square mile.
Hail in South Carolina, 1955 to 2026
Hail records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 6,6921955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 189average
- Deaths
- 047 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $133Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2008531 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are hail reports common in South Carolina?
South Carolina averages about 189 hail reports a year since 2000, 22nd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2008 (531). Per 10,000 square miles of land, South Carolina records 2226 hail reports since 1955, 9th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in South Carolina have the most hail reports?
Per square mile, Greenville County leads South Carolina: 223 days with a hail report since 1955, 283.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Greenville County has the most hail records (429 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is hail season in South Carolina?
51% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in May and June. The busiest month is May (1,979 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 46 · Feb 101 · Mar 655 · Apr 1,073 · May 1,979 · Jun 1,427 · Jul 755 · Aug 371 · Sep 122 · Oct 75 · Nov 43 · Dec 45 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
The costliest hail reports in South Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-05-25 | HailFlorence County | 4.50 in hail | 0 | 2 | $51M |
| 2024-04-20 | HailYork County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $24M |
| 1999-08-20 | HailSpartanburg County One storm episode: 3 records; the totals are the episode's. | 3.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $18M |
| 2014-05-23 | HailSpartanburg County One storm episode: 9 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $11M |
| 1999-04-24 | HailSaluda County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 2 | $7.1M |
| 2008-03-15 | HailBradley, Greenwood County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.8M |
| 1994-06-04 | HailGaffney, Cherokee County Every hail record filed in the state that day (3, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.1M |
| 2008-03-15 | HailHilton Head Is Airport, Beaufort County One storm episode: 3 records; the totals are the episode's. | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hail reports becoming more frequent in South Carolina?
South Carolina's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | South Carolina | United States | South Carolina's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 20 | 2,477 | 0.8% |
| 1960s | 60 | 7,651 | 0.8% |
| 1970s | 91 | 11,007 | 0.8% |
| 1980s | 380 | 26,555 | 1.4% |
| 1990s | 1,216 | 75,581 | 1.6% |
| 2000s | 2,420 | 137,396 | 1.8% |
| 2010s | 1,844 | 107,281 | 1.7% |
| 2020-26 | 661 | 56,491 | 1.2% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hail reports in South Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | HailLadson, Berkeley County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | HailSeneca, Oconee County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | HailRichland, Oconee County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | HailTamassee, Oconee County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-23 | HailMerchant, Saluda County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-11 | HailBeaufort County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-11 | HailGreen Sea, Horry County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-11 | HailNichols, Marion County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-30 | HailWando, Berkeley County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | HailFountain Inn, Laurens County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | HailDrayton, Charleston County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | HailMt Holly, Berkeley County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for hail reports in South Carolina
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 5 declarations in South Carolina, 4 of them major disasters; the latest on May 1, 2020.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-05-01 | DR-4542 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 10 |
| 2020-03-17 | DR-4479 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 10 |
| 2015-10-03 | EM-3373 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 47 |
| 2004-09-15 | DR-1547 | Tropical Storm Gaston | 3 |
| 2000-01-31 | DR-1313 | Severe Winter Storm | 38 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Greenville County: the county's whole recordThe South Carolina county with the most hail reports per square mile
- Hail across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in South CarolinaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in South Carolina16,518 records
- Floods in South Carolina2,557 records
- Winter storms in South Carolina1,839 records