NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Newberry, 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
36 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Newberry, South Carolina since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Newberry
The strongest storm to pass near Newberry was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Newberry begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 54 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems. Of the 36 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 69% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Newberry. The highest rating among the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 28, 1984, came within 18 miles. Of the 93, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 56 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Newberry has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Newberry.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Newberry
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 44 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 36 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Newberry: 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 Newberry
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s16
- 2000s25(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(3 EF3+)
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1984 | F4 | 18 mi | 21 mi | 5 / 49 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F4 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 9 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 5 mi | 17.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 4 mi | 27.51 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 25 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F3 | 12 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 16 mi | 17.7 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 3 mi | 23 mi | 1 / 38 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 8 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Newberry
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Newberry since 1960, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 6, 2022. The most recent report is from November 8, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 15 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Newberry
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Little Mountain, SC, 13 miles southeast of Newberry at 711 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 35°F. August is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 45.8 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (23.4 of 45.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 36 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 48 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 43 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.8 inches is more than at 20 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (26%). Whitmire, 15 miles north, has its own station (Union 8 S, SC): 45.4 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 35 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 59 | 38 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 66 | 44 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 75 | 52 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 61 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 70 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 64 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 53 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 43 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 74 | 53 | 45.8 | 72 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Little Mountain, SC (711 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 Newberry
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 199 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Newberry: 190 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $548,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on February 28, 2011. December 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 Newberry.
January 13, 2020: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Newberry — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning caused a house fire on Piedmont St in Newberry. According to media reports, a male was taken to a hospital and was treated for smoke inhalation.”
March 3, 2023: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Newberry — 1 injured.
NWS: “A tree was downed on a house on Pauline St in Newberry. One injury occurred.”
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 Newberry's ZIP code 29108 have filed 28 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $157,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 14% 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, 36 have fewer than Newberry.
Newberry County, which includes Newberry, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Newberry 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 $17.3 million a year, the 32nd highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.6 million (44%), 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 Newberry
- Prosperity, SC11 mi
- Pomaria, SC11 mi
- Little Mountain, SC14 mi
- Whitmire, SC15 mi
- Chapin, SC19 mi
- Clinton, SC19 mi
- Saluda, SC20 mi
- Cross Hill, SC21 mi
- Ninety Six, SC24 mi
- Leesville, SC26 mi
- Irmo, SC26 mi
- Gilbert, SC27 mi
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