NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fountain Inn, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fountain Inn, South Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Fountain Inn
The strongest storm to pass near Fountain Inn was Hugo in 1989, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Fountain Inn begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 60 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 19 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 81% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Fountain Inn. The highest rating among the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 27, 1973, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 10, 1952, killed 2 people. Of the 87, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Fountain Inn has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 137 times since 1984, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Fountain Inn has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 246 South Carolina cities.
Compare Fountain Inn's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fountain Inn
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 62 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | overhead | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 13 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 Fountain Inn: 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 Fountain Inn
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s11
- 2000s11
- 1990s22
- 1980s7
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1952 | F3 | 8 mi | 22.7 mi | 2 / 4 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 13 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Apr 25, 2020 | EF2 | 15 mi | 5.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF2 | 16 mi | 22.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 13, 2005 | F2 | 14 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 7, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Feb 21, 1997 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 17 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1985 | F2 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 39 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 43 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fountain Inn
The Storm Prediction Center has 137 hail reports within 10 miles of Fountain Inn since 1984, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 10, 2011. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 35 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fountain Inn
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenville, SC, 14 miles northwest of Fountain Inn at 960 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 30°F. December is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 50.6 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (25.3 of 50.6 inches). September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 73 nights a year. That 50.6 inches is more than at 53 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (68%). Gray Court, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Laurens, SC): 46.8 inches a year, 3.8 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 30 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 56 | 33 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 64 | 39 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 4.2 | 7 |
| May | 78 | 56 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Jun | 84 | 65 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 86 | 68 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 62 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 61 | 39 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 33 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 50.6 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenville, SC (960 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 Fountain Inn
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 160 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fountain Inn: 150 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 16, 2009. January has had the most flash floods, 2 of 6. Of the 241 South Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 71 have had fewer than Fountain Inn.
June 16, 2009: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Fountain Inn — 1 killed, $1.2 million damage.
June 21, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fountain Inn — 1 injured.
July 5, 2004: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fountain Inn — $150,000 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
Greenville County, which includes Fountain Inn, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Greenville County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $169.0 million a year, the 6th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $104.5 million (62%), 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.