NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hopkins, 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
60 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hopkins, South Carolina since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 56
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Hopkins
The strongest storm to pass near Hopkins was Hugo in 1989, a Category 1 hurricane with 91 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 13 miles. The record near Hopkins begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 43 miles away. The 1850s and the 1880s were the busiest decades, with 6 systems each. Of the 60 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 51% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Hopkins. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2020, came within 21 miles. Of the 109, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 56 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on September 27, 2024. Hopkins has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1959, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Hopkins has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 246 South Carolina cities.
Compare Hopkins's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hopkins
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 31 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | EarlSep 4 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 16 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormSep 15 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 21 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | CindyJul 9 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 26 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 24 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 17 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 8 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 9 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormOct 23 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 33 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 27 | 68 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 13 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | overhead | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 17 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 Hopkins: 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 Hopkins
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s21(2 EF3+)
- 1990s21(3 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s11
- 1960s8
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 21 mi | 35.68 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 15, 2007 | EF3 | 22 mi | 19.04 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Dec 10, 2004 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 2, 1995 | F3 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jul 23, 1997 | F2 | 10 mi | 3.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Oct 22, 1990 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 15, 1976 | F2 | 12 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 16 mi | 24.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hopkins
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Hopkins since 1959, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on September 25, 1988. The most recent report is from February 23, 2024. June has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hopkins
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbia Owens Dwtn Airport, SC, 9 miles west of Hopkins at 212 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 37°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 43.9 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (24.5 of 43.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 60 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal September there has highs of 86°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 83 days a year, almost all from April to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 33 nights a year. That 43.9 inches is more than at 6 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (8%). Gadsden, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Wedgefield, SC): 46.1 inches a year, 2.2 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 37 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 61 | 40 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 69 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 53 | 2.7 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 62 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 93 | 73 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 91 | 72 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 86 | 67 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 77 | 56 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 60 | 39 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 43.9 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbia Owens Dwtn Airport, SC (212 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 Hopkins
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 271 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hopkins: 218 thunderstorm wind reports, 35 flash floods, 9 floods and 9 heavy rain events. They killed 6 people and injured 32, and the NWS estimated $21.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 119 mph, on August 14, 1999. October has had the most flash floods, 10 of 35. Of the 241 South Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 220 have had fewer than Hopkins.
October 4, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Hopkins — 2 killed, 20 injured, $10.0 million damage.
October 7, 2015: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Hopkins — 2 killed, 5 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Five railroad repair workers driving along Congaree Road plunged into the water of Cabin Creek because the roadway had been washed out. Sheriffs spokesman said that the barricade was in the wrong lane.”
October 4, 2015: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Hopkins — 1 killed, 1 injured, $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 Hopkins's ZIP code 29061 have filed 41 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2015, and were paid $738,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from October severe storms in 2015: 36 claims (88% of all) and $672,000. 93% 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, 45 have fewer than Hopkins.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| October severe storms2015 | 36 | $672,000 |
Richland County, which includes Hopkins, 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.