NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Greenwood, 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
32 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Greenwood, South Carolina since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 30
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Greenwood
The strongest storm to pass near Greenwood was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Greenwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 59 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 5 systems. Of the 32 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 69% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Greenwood. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 13, 1973, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 31, 1973, killed 7 people. Of the 77, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 12, 2025. Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Greenwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Greenwood has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 246 South Carolina cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Greenwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 75 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 64 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Greenwood: 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 Greenwood
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s10
- 2000s26(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s9(5 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 1973 | F4 | 7 mi | 22.6 mi | 7 / 30 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F4 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 20 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 25 mi | 17.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 27.51 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1998 | F3 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 4 mi | 17.7 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 5 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 23 mi | 23 mi | 1 / 38 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF2 | 3 mi | 29.35 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 22.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.71 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Greenwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Greenwood since 1968, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 15, 2008. The most recent report is from April 23, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Greenwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenwood Co Airport, SC, 4 miles north of Greenwood at 631 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 32°F. March is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 42.0 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (20.5 of 42.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 32 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 60 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 58 nights a year. That 42.0 inches is more than at 1 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (1%). Ninety Six, 9 miles east, has its own station (Greenwood 8NE, SC): 47.5 inches a year, 5.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 32 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 65 | 41 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 2.8 | 5 |
| May | 81 | 57 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Nov | 63 | 39 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 56 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 42.0 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenwood Co Airport, SC (631 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 Greenwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 156 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Greenwood: 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $976,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 13, 1996. Of the 241 South Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 55 have had fewer than Greenwood.
July 9, 2013: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Greenwood — $300,000 damage.
December 30, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Greenwood — $150,000 damage.
July 31, 2010: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Greenwood — $100,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Greenwood's 2 ZIP codes have filed 43 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1992, and were paid $773,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 15 claims (35% of all) and $298,000, then October severe storms in 2015 with 12. 63% 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, 47 have fewer than Greenwood.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 15 | $298,000 |
| October severe storms2015 | 12 | $299,000 |
Greenwood County, which includes Greenwood, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Greenwood County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.3 million a year, the 24th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.8 million (36%), 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 Greenwood
- Hodges, SC8 mi
- Ninety Six, SC9 mi
- Waterloo, SC10 mi
- Cross Hill, SC11 mi
- Abbeville, SC15 mi
- Ware Shoals, SC15 mi
- Donalds, SC16 mi
- Mc Cormick, SC21 mi
- Honea Path, SC22 mi
- Laurens, SC23 mi
- Calhoun Falls, SC24 mi
- Saluda, SC25 mi
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