NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbia, SC
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
51 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Columbia, South Carolina since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 111 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 48
- Tornadoes
- 111
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | EarlSep 4 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 19 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormSep 15 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 9 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 26 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 17 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 9 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | overhead | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 45 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 2 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbia: 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 Columbia
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s20
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s26(4 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s6
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1984 | F4 | 24 mi | 21 mi | 5 / 49 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 25 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 27.51 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 2, 1995 | F3 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F3 | 20 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Sep 27, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Jul 23, 1997 | F2 | 13 mi | 3.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 15, 1976 | F2 | in town | 3.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2010 | EF2 | 25 mi | 5.01 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 111, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Columbia while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.