NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ninety Six, 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
35 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ninety Six, South Carolina since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 33
- Tornadoes
- 80
- 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 Ninety Six
The strongest storm to pass near Ninety Six was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Ninety Six begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 5 systems. Of the 35 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 69% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Ninety Six. The highest rating among the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 13, 1973, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on March 31, 1973, killed 7 people. Of the 80, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on January 27, 2024. Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ninety Six. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ninety Six.
Compare Ninety Six's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ninety Six
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 68 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 54 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 62 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 Ninety Six: 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 Ninety Six
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s11
- 2000s26(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s7(5 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 1973 | F4 | 17 mi | 22.6 mi | 7 / 30 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F4 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 13 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 17 mi | 17.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 15 mi | 27.51 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1998 | F3 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | in town | 17.7 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 9 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 16 mi | 23 mi | 1 / 38 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF2 | 12 mi | 29.35 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ninety Six
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Ninety Six since 1974, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 24, 1999. The most recent report is from April 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ninety Six
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenwood 8NE, SC, 8 miles north of Ninety Six at 530 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 33°F. June and December are the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.5 inches. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (23.6 of 47.5 inches). September has brought the most of the 35 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 54 nights a year. That 47.5 inches is more than at 32 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (41%). Greenwood, 9 miles west, has its own station (Greenwood Co Airport, SC): 42.0 inches a year, 5.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 33 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 3.8 |
| Mar | 65 | 41 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.3 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 3.5 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 4.6 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.3 |
| Sep | 84 | 63 | 4.1 |
| Oct | 74 | 52 | 3.1 |
| Nov | 64 | 40 | 3.7 |
| Dec | 56 | 35 | 4.6 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 47.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenwood 8NE, SC (530 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 Ninety Six
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 124 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ninety Six: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $560,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 13, 1996.
October 4, 2015: flood 4 miles from the centre of Ninety Six — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “After early morning flash flooding, rain rates moderated across the lower Piedmont, but flooding continued and gradually expanded, with high water conditions remaining in place throughout much of the 4th.”
July 31, 2010: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Ninety Six — $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
Greenwood County, which includes Ninety Six, 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.