NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cowpens, 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
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cowpens, South Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Cowpens
The strongest storm to pass near Cowpens was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Cowpens begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 65 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 22 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 81% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Cowpens. The strongest of the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 5, 1989; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 83, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Cowpens has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 133 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Cowpens has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 246 South Carolina cities.
Compare Cowpens's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cowpens
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 63 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cowpens: 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 Cowpens
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s13
- 2000s10
- 1990s24(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1989 | F4 | 7 mi | 15 mi | 2 / 35 |
| May 10, 1952 | F3 | 17 mi | 22.7 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 4 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 7 mi | 4.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF2 | 16 mi | 22.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 11, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Feb 21, 1997 | F2 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 18 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cowpens
The Storm Prediction Center has 133 hail reports within 10 miles of Cowpens since 1957, made on 104 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 2, 1957. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. May has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cowpens
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chesnee 7 WSW, SC, 10 miles northwest of Cowpens at 748 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 27°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 51.6 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 51.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 22 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 82°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 93 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.6 inches is more than at 58 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (74%). Gaffney, 9 miles east, has its own station (Ninety Nine Is, SC): 45.3 inches a year, 6.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 27 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 55 | 30 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 62 | 36 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 72 | 44 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 54 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 46 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 35 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 54 | 30 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Year | 71 | 46 | 51.6 | 79 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chesnee 7 WSW, SC (748 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 Cowpens
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 216 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cowpens: 200 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 7 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 3, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 241 South Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 103 have had fewer than Cowpens.
July 4, 2013: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cowpens — 1 killed.
July 29, 2008: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Cowpens — 8 injured.
May 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Cowpens — 1 injured, $50,000 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
Spartanburg County, which includes Cowpens, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 3 ice storms, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Spartanburg County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $89.3 million a year, the 11th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $52.8 million (59%), 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.