NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Effingham, 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
87 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Effingham, South Carolina since 1851, 14 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Chantal in 2025. Since 1950, 73 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 14
- Tropical storms
- 73
- Tornadoes
- 73
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Effingham
The strongest storm to pass near Effingham was Hazel in 1954, a Category 4 hurricane with 131 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1896, whose centre came within 19 miles. The record near Effingham begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Chantal in 2025, a tropical storm 39 miles away. The 1890s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 8 systems each. Of the 87 systems, 21 have come since 2000. Effingham has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 68% of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site. The strongest of the 73 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 7, 1995; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 73, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on September 27, 2024. Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Effingham. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1967, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Effingham has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 246 South Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Effingham
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ChantalJul 6 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 31 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2022 | IanSep 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | ColinJul 2 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ClaudetteJun 21 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 4 | 70 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 15 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2016 | MatthewOct 8 | 59 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2015 | AnaMay 10 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | BerylMay 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 6 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 3 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | GastonAug 29 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 14 | 60 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2002 | KyleOct 11 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 4 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 8 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 45 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | DianaSep 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1981 | DennisAug 20 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormSep 15 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1972 | Unnamed 1972 stormJul 12 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 21 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 70 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 9 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 26 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 67 mi | Category 4 (131 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormAug 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 24 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 17 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 23 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 14 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 16 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 10 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 20 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormOct 23 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 13 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 31 | 43 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 19 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 27 | 33 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 13 | 40 mi | Category 2 (108 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 69 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormJun 16 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 25 | 50 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1883 | Unnamed 1883 stormSep 11 | 73 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 28 | 38 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormJun 23 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 25 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Effingham: 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 Effingham
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s9
- 2000s12
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s17
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 1995 | F4 | 24 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 20, 1980 | F3 | 24 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Apr 25, 2010 | EF2 | 16 mi | 2.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 18 mi | 14.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 2006 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1996 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 7, 1995 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 27, 1981 | F2 | 9 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 20, 1980 | F2 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 4, 1978 | F2 | 24 mi | 41.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 1967 | F2 | 4 mi | 11.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 73, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Effingham
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Effingham since 1967, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 25, 2000. The most recent report is from May 12, 2016. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Effingham
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Florence Regional Airport, SC, 8 miles north of Effingham at 146 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. July is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 45.3 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 57% of the year's precipitation (25.8 of 45.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 87 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (30); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 70 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 40 nights a year. That 45.3 inches is more than at 14 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (18%). Coward, 6 miles south, has its own station (Lake City 2 SE, SC): 49.8 inches a year, 4.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 36 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 61 | 39 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Mar | 68 | 44 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 52 | 3.0 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 61 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 5.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 90 | 71 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 85 | 66 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 77 | 54 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 54 | 45.3 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Florence Regional Airport, SC (146 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 Effingham
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 182 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Effingham: 139 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 floods, 13 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $13.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 14, 1999. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 241 South Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 147 have had fewer than Effingham.
August 10, 2006: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Effingham — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 10, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Effingham — 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
August 25, 2015: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Effingham — 1 injured.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Effingham's ZIP code 29541 have filed 48 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $702,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from October severe storms in 2015: 15 claims (31% of all) and $394,000. 40% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 110 South Carolina cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 54 have fewer than Effingham.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| October severe storms2015 | 15 | $394,000 |
Florence County, which includes Effingham, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 hurricanes, 3 ice storms, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Debby, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Florence County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $65.2 million a year, the 13th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.8 million (35%), is from hurricanes.
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 Effingham
- Coward, SC6 mi
- Florence, SC8 mi
- Scranton, SC10 mi
- Timmonsville, SC11 mi
- Pamplico, SC12 mi
- Lake City, SC15 mi
- Darlington, SC18 mi
- Lynchburg, SC18 mi
- Turbeville, SC19 mi
- Lamar, SC20 mi
- Marion, SC22 mi
- Johnsonville, SC24 mi
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