NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chester, SC
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
38 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Chester, South Carolina since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 35
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Chester
The strongest storm to pass near Chester was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 87 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hugo in 1989, whose centre came within 10 miles. The record near Chester begins with an unnamed storm in 1854; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 53 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems. Of the 38 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 55% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Chester. The strongest of the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 28, 1984; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 70, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 13 each. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chester.
Compare Chester's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 10 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 9 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 75 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 24 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Chester: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Chester
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s8
- 2000s18
- 1990s20(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1984 | F4 | 23 mi | 21 mi | 5 / 49 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 18 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 16, 2011 | EF2 | 7 mi | 5.8 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F2 | 4 mi | 3 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 24 mi | 23 mi | 1 / 38 |
| May 5, 2020 | EF2 | 14 mi | 13.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 7, 2004 | F2 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 1993 | F2 | 17 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 24, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F2 | 18 mi | 15.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.74 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chester
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Chester since 1963, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 16, 2009. The most recent report is from May 10, 2024. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chester 1 SE, SC, 3 miles southeast of Chester at 560 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 30°F. August is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 46.0 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (22.9 of 46.0 inches). September has brought the most of the 38 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 54 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 82 nights a year. That 46.0 inches is more than at 21 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (27%). Mc Connells, 10 miles north, has its own station (York 5 SSE, SC): 44.2 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 30 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 56 | 32 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 64 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 3.9 | 6 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 49 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Nov | 63 | 38 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 55 | 32 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Year | 72 | 49 | 46.0 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chester 1 SE, SC (560 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Chester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chester: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $192,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 16, 2009.
May 5, 2020: lightning strike in Chester — 1 killed.
NWS: “County comms reported a 32-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning when getting out of his vehicle on York St.”
March 15, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Chester — $100,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Chester County, which includes Chester, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chester County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.8 million a year, the 36th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (38%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Chester
- Mc Connells, SC10 mi
- Richburg, SC12 mi
- Edgemoor, SC14 mi
- Sharon, SC14 mi
- Fort Lawn, SC18 mi
- Rock Hill, SC18 mi
- Catawba, SC19 mi
- York, SC20 mi
- Great Falls, SC20 mi
- Union, SC22 mi
- Winnsboro, SC25 mi
- Fort Mill, SC26 mi
All South Carolina cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Chester with another place →