South Carolina hurricanes and tropical storms
Every recorded hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996 · 46 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 534 hurricane and tropical storm records in South Carolina from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 23 a year since 2000. The deadliest was Hurricane Helene (September 27, 2024): 31 deaths and $360 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 41 records. South Carolina ranks 7th of 34 states and territories by count and 9th of 33 per square mile.
Hurricanes and tropical storms in South Carolina, 1996 to 2026
Tropical 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
- 5341996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 23average
- Deaths
- 3914 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $632Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 201892 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 hurricane and tropical storm records common in South Carolina?
South Carolina averages about 23 hurricane and tropical storm records a year since 2000, 7th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2018 (92). Per 10,000 square miles of land, South Carolina records 178 hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996, 9th of 33 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 hurricane and tropical storm records?
Per square mile, Beaufort County leads South Carolina: 24 days with a hurricane or tropical storm record since 1996, 41.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Charleston County has the most tropical records (99 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 hurricane season in South Carolina?
62% of its hurricane and tropical storm records since 1996 fell in September and October. The busiest month is September (231 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 1 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 28 · Jun 54 · Jul 21 · Aug 92 · Sep 231 · Oct 102 · Nov 3 · Dec 2 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest hurricane and tropical storm records in South Carolina?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Hurricane Helene · Tropical StormAiken County · forecast zone Aiken One named storm filed by several offices: 41 records in 3 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central ... | 31 | 0 | $360M | |
| 2016-10-08 | Hurricane Matthew · Tropical StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence One storm episode: 8 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Major Hurricane Matthew moved up the southeast coast and slowly weakened to a category 1 storm as it moved up along the South Carolina coast and then eastward near the North Carolina coast. The hurricane brought 6 to 12 inches of rain and up to 15 inches to some areas of northeast South Carolina, with the bulk of the ... | 3 | 0 | $150M | |
| 2018-09-14 | Hurricane Florence · Hurricane (Typhoon)Horry County · forecast zone Central Horry One named storm filed by several offices: 3 records in 2 episodes, 2018-09-14 to 2018-10-10; the totals are the storm's. Hurricane Florence began its long Atlantic trek from the Cape Verde Islands in early September. It made landfall near Wrightsville Beach during the morning of September 14th. The barometric pressure at landfall was 959 millibars, or 28.32 inches.The strongest winds were recorded at 106 mph at Cape Lookout, as well as ... | 2 | 1 | $3.5M | |
| 2017-09-11 | Hurricane Irma · Tropical DepressionJasper County · forecast zone Jasper One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Irma first developed into a tropical storm on August 30th about 420 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, and within 24 hours strengthened into a hurricane. Irma continued to intensify and became a major hurricane over the eastern Atlantic on September 1st. After undergoing a brief period of weakening on September ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1996-09-05 | Hurricane Fran · Hurricane (Typhoon)Horry County · forecast zone Horry Hurricane Fran remained largely offshore as it passed north, with wind gusts reported near 70 knots along the Horry County coast. Eleven evacuation shelters housed 5400 people. One death occurred, to a woman whose car went down an embankment near Conway. Agricultural losses were near $20 million, with corn, tobacco ... | 1 | 0 | $39M | |
| 2013-06-07 | Tropical StormHorry County · forecast zone Coastal Horry Tropical Storm Andrea crossed Florida, scraped the coast of Georgia, and the center was near Hilton Head Island the morning of June 7th. Heavy rain preceded the storm, with tropical rain continuing throughout the day. Rainfall totals were impressive, with many spots receiving 3-4 inches. Brunswick county had the ... | 1 | 0 | – |
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.
The costliest hurricane and tropical storm records in South Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Hurricane Helene · Tropical StormAiken County · forecast zone Aiken One named storm filed by several offices: 41 records in 3 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 31 | 0 | $360M | |
| 2016-10-08 | Hurricane Matthew · Tropical StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence One storm episode: 8 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 0 | $150M | |
| 1996-09-05 | Hurricane Fran · Hurricane (Typhoon)Horry County · forecast zone Horry | 1 | 0 | $39M | |
| 1999-09-15 | Hurricane Floyd · Hurricane (Typhoon)Allendale County · forecast zone Allendale | 0 | 0 | $30M | |
| 2004-08-29 | Tropical Storm Gaston · Tropical StormCharleston County · forecast zone Charleston One named storm filed by several offices: 2 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 0 | 0 | $26M | |
| 2004-08-14 | Hurricane Charley · Hurricane (Typhoon)Horry County · forecast zone Horry One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 3 | $10M | |
| 1998-08-26 | Hurricane Bonnie · Hurricane (Typhoon)Horry County · forecast zone Horry | 0 | 0 | $6.9M | |
| 2018-09-14 | Hurricane Florence · Hurricane (Typhoon)Horry County · forecast zone Central Horry One named storm filed by several offices: 3 records in 2 episodes, 2018-09-14 to 2018-10-10; the totals are the storm's. | 2 | 1 | $3.5M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hurricane and tropical storm 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.
| Decade | South Carolina | United States | South Carolina's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 38 | 1,123 | 3.4% |
| 2000s | 72 | 4,928 | 1.5% |
| 2010s | 259 | 2,761 | 9.4% |
| 2020-26 | 165 | 2,697 | 6.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hurricane and tropical storm records in South Carolina
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormYork County · forecast zone York | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormUnion County · forecast zone Union | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormSpartanburg County · forecast zone Southern Spartanburg | 0 | 0 | $9.4M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormGreenville County · forecast zone Southern Greenville | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormSpartanburg County · forecast zone Northern Spartanburg | 4 | 0 | $24M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormLaurens County · forecast zone Laurens | 3 | 0 | $24M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormGreenwood County · forecast zone Greenwood | 1 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormChester County · forecast zone Chester | 0 | 0 | $470K | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormCherokee County · forecast zone Cherokee | 0 | 0 | $4.7M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormGreenville County · forecast zone Central Greenville | 4 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormAnderson County · forecast zone Anderson | 2 | 0 | $6.6M | |
| 2024-09-27 | Tropical StormAbbeville County · forecast zone Abbeville | 0 | 0 | $2.8M |
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 hurricane and tropical storm records in South Carolina
FEMA has declared 26 disasters in South Carolina for hurricane and tropical storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name hurricane or tropical storm or typhoon in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 16 were major disasters, the latest on September 29, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-29 | DR-4835 | Tropical Storm Debby | 14 |
| 2024-09-29 | DR-4829 | Hurricane Helene | 34 |
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3619 | Hurricane Helene | 46 |
| 2024-08-05 | EM-3606 | Hurricane Debby | 46 |
| 2023-08-31 | EM-3597 | Hurricane Idalia | 46 |
| 2022-11-21 | DR-4677 | Hurricane Ian | 46 |
| 2022-09-29 | EM-3585 | Hurricane Ian | 46 |
| 2019-09-30 | DR-4464 | Hurricane Dorian | 12 |
| 2019-09-01 | EM-3421 | Hurricane Dorian | 47 |
| 2018-09-16 | DR-4394 | Hurricane Florence | 19 |
| 2018-09-10 | EM-3400 | Hurricane Florence | 47 |
| 2017-10-16 | DR-4346 | Hurricane Irma | 47 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Beaufort County: the county's whole recordThe South Carolina county with the most hurricane and tropical storm records per square mile
- Hurricanes and tropical storms 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
- Hail in South Carolina6,692 records
- Floods in South Carolina2,557 records