NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gadsden, 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
68 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gadsden, South Carolina since 1851, 5 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 5
- Tropical storms
- 63
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Gadsden
The strongest storm to pass near Gadsden was Hugo in 1989, a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Gadsden begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 39 miles away. The 1890s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 6 systems each. Of the 68 systems, 11 have come since 2000. Gadsden has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site. The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2020, came within 18 miles. Of the 106, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2025. Gadsden has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1977, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gadsden.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gadsden
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 31 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | BerylMay 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | GastonAug 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 4 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 8 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 13 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1988 | ChrisAug 28 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormSep 15 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | DottieAug 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 21 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 9 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 26 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 24 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 8 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 18 | 74 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 17 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 9 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormOct 23 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 25 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 27 | 60 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 20 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormJun 16 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormJun 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 10 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 Gadsden: 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 Gadsden
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s16
- 2000s21(2 EF3+)
- 1990s21(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s12
- 1960s6
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 18 mi | 35.68 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 15, 2007 | EF3 | 15 mi | 19.04 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Dec 10, 2004 | F3 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 2, 1995 | F3 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 1997 | F2 | 16 mi | 3.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Oct 22, 1990 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 15, 1976 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 22, 1958 | F2 | 19 mi | 17.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF2 | 23 mi | 10.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF2 | 16 mi | 6.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 12 mi | 24.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.89 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gadsden
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Gadsden since 1977, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on March 13, 1991. The most recent report is from May 10, 2024. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gadsden
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wedgefield, SC, 14 miles east of Gadsden at 250 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 35°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 46.1 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (24.8 of 46.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 68 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal September there has highs of 86°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 47 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.1 inches is more than at 22 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (28%). Hopkins, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Columbia Owens Dwtn Airport, SC): 43.9 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 35 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 62 | 38 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 69 | 43 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 77 | 51 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 83 | 60 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 64 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 43 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 61 | 37 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Year | 76 | 53 | 46.1 | 74 | 0.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wedgefield, SC (250 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 Gadsden
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 155 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gadsden: 138 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 3 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 119 mph, on August 14, 1999. Of the 241 South Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 123 have had fewer than Gadsden.
October 7, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Gadsden — 2 killed, 5 injured, $100,000 damage.
October 4, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Gadsden — 1 killed, 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
October 4, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Gadsden — $1.5 million 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
Richland County, which includes Gadsden, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Richland County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $137.8 million a year, the 7th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $74.1 million (54%), 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 Gadsden
- Eastover, SC6 mi
- Hopkins, SC8 mi
- St Matthews, SC12 mi
- Wedgefield, SC14 mi
- Shaw Afb, SC19 mi
- Pinewood, SC19 mi
- Gaston, SC20 mi
- Swansea, SC20 mi
- Cayce, SC20 mi
- Columbia, SC21 mi
- Rembert, SC21 mi
- Dalzell, SC22 mi
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