South Carolina winter storms

Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 46 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,839 winter storm records in South Carolina from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 67 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 3, 2018 heavy snow in Dorchester County: 3 deaths across 3 records. South Carolina ranks 42nd of 51 states and territories by count and 32nd of 50 per square mile.

Winter storms in South Carolina, 1996 to 2026

Winter storm 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: 1,8391996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 67average
Deaths: 1134 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $142Mas filed
Busiest year: 2010199 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 winter storm records common in South Carolina?

South Carolina averages about 67 winter storm records a year since 2000, 42nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2010 (199). Per 10,000 square miles of land, South Carolina records 612 winter storm records since 1996, 32nd 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 winter storm records?

Per square mile, Pickens County leads South Carolina: 95 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 191.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Greenville County has the most winter storm records (185 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).

Pickens County 191.2 (163)
Cherokee County 183.2 (78)
Oconee County 151.6 (162)
Greenville County 137.4 (185)
Spartanburg County 100.2 (89)
Union County 93.5 (50)
York County 91.1 (65)
Greenwood County 83.4 (41)
Chester County 77.5 (46)
Abbeville County 77.4 (43)
Anderson County 74.2 (59)
Laurens County 67.3 (50)

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 winter storm season in South Carolina?

77% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (961 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 961 · Feb 463 · Mar 91 · Apr 12 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 31 · Dec 281 (records).

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

What were the deadliest winter storm records in South Carolina?

South Carolina: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2018-01-03	Heavy SnowDorchester County · forecast zone Dorchester One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A developing surface low pressure system offshore and an amplifying upper level trough approaching from the west combined with unusually cold air to produce widespread significant winter precipitation across southeast South Carolina. Most of the precipitation fell as snow, with amounts ranging from 1 to 7 inches. The ...	3	0	–
2014-02-12	Ice StormHampton County · forecast zone Hampton One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An area of low pressure tracked from the Gulf of Mexico to off the southeast coast, producing widespread precipitation across southeast South Carolina. A wedge of high pressure provided shallow, cold air, supporting the development of freezing rain at many locations away from the immediate coast. Across many inland ...	2	3	–
2014-02-11	Winter StormDarlington County · forecast zone Darlington One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Low pressure formed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary over northern Florida on February 11th, with a strong and large area of high pressure to the north. Precipitation began as snow from the I-95 corridor and points west, with mainly sleet and freezing rain reported east of I-95. The northwest portion of the ...	2	0	–
2003-02-17	Ice StormMarlboro County · forecast zone Marlboro Around a tenth of an inch of freezing rain fell. A three vehicle accident occurred over an icy bridge onHwy 15. A woman was killed with two other injuries. Many schools and businesses were either closed or opened late.	1	2	$48K
2026-02-01	Winter WeatherCharleston County · forecast zone Charleston The South Carolina Department of Public Health reported a traffic accident related to winter weather conditions, resulting in a fatality.	1	1	–
2026-01-31	Heavy SnowColleton County · forecast zone Northern Colleton One storm episode: 11 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. A winter storm impacted much of southeast South Carolina with significant snow accumulations and very cold wind chill temperatures. An area of low pressure shifted off the Southeast coast while deepening, ushering in a very cold air mass across the region. The depth of cold air was sufficient to support snow as the ...	1	1	–
2004-02-26	Winter WeatherDarlington County · forecast zone Darlington A mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow began falling over the area around 6 am. The light precipitation quickly changed to snow showers, with occasional thunder reported. Temperatures rose well above freezing after sunrise, and the snow changed to rain by 9 am. Most of the snow accumulated on grassy surfaces, ...	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 winter storm records in South Carolina

South Carolina: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Damage
2002-12-04	Ice StormGreenville County · forecast zone Greater Greenville One storm episode: 14 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's.	$90M
2004-01-26	Ice StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's.	$36M
2004-01-25	Ice StormDarlington County · forecast zone Darlington One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's.	$4.8M
1999-01-02	Ice StormAnderson County · forecast zone Anderson One storm episode: 13 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's.	$2.7M
2004-02-26	Heavy SnowYork County · forecast zone York	$2.7M
2005-12-15	Ice StormSpartanburg County · forecast zone Spartanburg One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's.	$1.1M
2005-12-15	Ice StormAnderson County · forecast zone Anderson	$302K
2011-01-10	Ice StormBerkeley County · forecast zone Inland Berkeley	$262K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are winter 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.

Winter storms: South Carolina and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	South Carolina	United States	South Carolina's share
1996-99	245	32,893	0.74%
2000s	631	88,805	0.71%
2010s	665	103,626	0.64%
2020-26	298	62,015	0.48%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent winter storm records in South Carolina

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowOrangeburg County · forecast zone Southeastern Orangeburg	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowOrangeburg County · forecast zone Central Orangeburg	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowOrangeburg County · forecast zone Northwestern Orangeburg	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowCalhoun County · forecast zone Calhoun	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowClarendon County · forecast zone Clarendon	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowLee County · forecast zone Lee	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowSumter County · forecast zone Sumter	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowKershaw County · forecast zone Kershaw	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Heavy SnowChesterfield County · forecast zone Chesterfield	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Winter WeatherCharleston County · forecast zone Charleston	1	1	–
2026-02-01	Winter StormGeorgetown County · forecast zone Coastal Georgetown	0	0	–
2026-02-01	Winter StormGeorgetown County · forecast zone Inland Georgetown	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 winter storm records in South Carolina

FEMA has declared 8 disasters in South Carolina for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 6 were major disasters, the latest on April 7, 2026.

The 12 most recent
Declared	Number	Title	Areas named
2026-04-07	DR-4908	Severe Winter Storm	3
2026-01-23	EM-3632	Severe Winter Storm	47
2014-03-12	DR-4166	Severe Winter Storm	22
2014-02-12	EM-3369	Severe Winter Storm	46
2006-01-20	DR-1625	Severe Ice Storm	7
2004-02-13	DR-1509	Severe Ice Storm	26
2003-01-08	DR-1451	Severe Ice Storm	6
2000-01-31	DR-1313	Severe Winter Storm	38

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.