South Carolina heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 34 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 186 heat records in South Carolina from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 8.9 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 1, 1999 heat in Charleston County: 9 deaths across 3 records. South Carolina ranks 36th of 51 states and territories by count and 37th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in South Carolina, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

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

Records: 1861996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 8.9average
Deaths: 3521 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: –as filed
Busiest year: 201247 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 heat records common in South Carolina?

South Carolina averages about 8.9 heat records a year since 2000, 36th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2012 (47). Per 10,000 square miles of land, South Carolina records 62 heat records since 1996, 37th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, 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 heat records?

Per square mile, Beaufort County leads South Carolina: 13 days with a heat record since 1996, 22.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Beaufort County has the most heat records (26 since 1996); 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 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in South Carolina?

73% of its heat records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (80 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 1 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 3 · Jun 55 · Jul 80 · Aug 46 · Sep 0 · Oct 1 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in South Carolina?

South Carolina: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Damage
1999-08-01	HeatCharleston County · forecast zone Charleston One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Oppressive heat and humidity gripped south coastal South Carolina resulting in many heat related fatalities. High temperatures from the mid 90s to near 105 degrees combined with dewpoints from the mid 70s to low 80s to produce heat indices ranging from 110 to 120 degrees during early August. All time record highs were ...	9	–
1999-07-27	HeatAbbeville County · forecast zone Abbeville One storm episode: 7 records in 5 places, 1999-07-27 to 1999-07-31; the totals are the episode's. Beginning on the 23rd of July, high temperatures eacy day reached between 95 and 105 degrees. These hot temperatures combined with high humidity contributed to the deaths of a few people during this period. A couple were found inside unairconditioned homes where the air temperature had reach 108 degrees. Others ...	7	–
1999-08-01	HeatOconee County · forecast zone Southern Oconee One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places, 1999-08-01 to 1999-08-02; the totals are the episode's. Two people perished during a week long spell of very hot temperatures and high humidity. The heat was thought to have contributed to a man's heart attack while mowing the grass in Oconee county. An elderly woman died in her home in rural Rock Hill.	2	–
1998-07-02	HeatKershaw County · forecast zone Kershaw An 84 year old male and a 63 year old female were found dead in their mobile home in Elgin of heat stress. The home was not air conditioned and the temperature inside reached to at least 100 degrees with no ventilation.	2	–
1999-08-01	HeatClarendon County · forecast zone Clarendon One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Robert John King, 89, was found dead at his home due to excessive heat.	2	–
2014-05-08	HeatDarlington County · forecast zone Darlington A man accidently left his sleeping 13 month old daughter in the back seat of his car, parked on 5th street near Carolina Printing, where the father works. The baby was left unattended for three hours. The autopsy determined the little girl died from hyperthermia due to the extreme heat. The high temperature that day ...	1	–
2012-06-29	HeatPickens County · forecast zone Greater Pickens An oppressively hot and humid airmass that spent several days building west of the Appalachians finally made it east of the mountains, bringing very hot conditions to upstate South Carolina. The high temperature at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport hit 105 degrees on the 29th and 103 degrees on the 30th, ...	1	–
2009-10-07	Excessive HeatRichland County · forecast zone Richland A Ft. Jackson recruit died as a result of heatstroke. Pvt. Jamal Britt, 19, of Edgewood, Md. died at 5:04pm EDT.	1	–
1999-07-23	HeatUnion County · forecast zone Union An elderly woman died while walking outside her home. Probable cause was cardiac arythmia caused by heat stress. Temperatures were well into the 90s with high humidity.	1	–
1998-06-01	HeatCharleston County · forecast zone Charleston An elderly female died in North Charleston due to the heat.	1	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records 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.

Heat: South Carolina and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	South Carolina	United States	South Carolina's share
1996-99	44	4,355	1.0%
2000s	34	9,163	0.4%
2010s	102	16,445	0.6%
2020-26	6	26,796	0.0%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in South Carolina

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2025-06-21	Excessive HeatSumter County · forecast zone Sumter	1	0	–
2024-05-03	Excessive HeatRichland County · forecast zone Richland	1	0	–
2022-06-13	HeatBeaufort County · forecast zone Beaufort	0	1	–
2019-05-22	HeatRichland County · forecast zone Richland	1	0	–
2014-05-08	HeatDarlington County · forecast zone Darlington	1	0	–
2012-06-29	HeatPickens County · forecast zone Greater Pickens	1	0	–
2009-10-07	Excessive HeatRichland County · forecast zone Richland	1	0	–
2007-08-06	Excessive HeatRichland County · forecast zone Richland	1	0	–
2005-06-15	HeatCharleston County · forecast zone Charleston	0	5	–
2000-07-10	HeatGreenville County · forecast zone Southern Greenville	1	0	–
1999-08-02	HeatYork County · forecast zone York	1	0	–
1999-08-01	HeatOconee County · forecast zone Southern Oconee	1	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.