NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Piedmont, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Piedmont, South Carolina since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Piedmont
The strongest storm to pass near Piedmont was Hugo in 1989, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Piedmont begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 48 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 19 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 81% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Piedmont. The highest rating among the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2020, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 10, 1952, killed 2 people. Of the 101, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Piedmont has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 161 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Piedmont has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 246 South Carolina cities.
Compare Piedmont's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Piedmont
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 74 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Piedmont: 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 Piedmont
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s15
- 2000s20
- 1990s22
- 1980s5
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1952 | F3 | 13 mi | 22.7 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 21 mi | 16.71 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 4 mi | 60.2 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Mar 23, 2022 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 2020 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF2 | 21 mi | 7.97 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 2008 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 1998 | F2 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 16, 1996 | F2 | 17 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 4 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 43 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Piedmont
The Storm Prediction Center has 161 hail reports within 10 miles of Piedmont since 1959, made on 101 separate days. Of these, 84 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 16, 2009. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. June has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Piedmont
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is W Pelzer, SC, 6 miles south of Piedmont at 705 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 31°F. December is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 47% of the year's precipitation (22.7 of 48.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 70 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.0 inches is more than at 35 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (45%). Mauldin, 9 miles east, has its own station (Greenville, SC): 50.6 inches a year, 2.6 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 31 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 56 | 33 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 64 | 40 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 49 | 3.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 33 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 72 | 49 | 48.0 | 64 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at W Pelzer, SC (705 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 Piedmont
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 247 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Piedmont: 216 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 10 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on April 10, 2009. Of the 241 South Carolina cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Piedmont.
September 27, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Piedmont — 1 killed, $300,000 damage.
July 23, 1997: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Piedmont — 1 injured, $8,000 damage.
April 8, 1999: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Piedmont — 1 injured.
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 Piedmont's ZIP code 29673 have filed 10 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1995, and were paid $156,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 30% 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, 0 have fewer than Piedmont.
Greenville County, which includes Piedmont, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Greenville County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $169.0 million a year, the 6th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $104.5 million (62%), 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.