NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saluda, 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
37 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Saluda, South Carolina since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Elsa in 2021. Since 1950, 95 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 35
- Tornadoes
- 95
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Saluda
The strongest storm to pass near Saluda was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Saluda begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Elsa in 2021, a tropical storm 51 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 6 systems. Of the 37 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 69% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Saluda. The strongest of the 95 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on December 13, 1973; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 95, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Saluda has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1984, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saluda.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saluda
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 60 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 40 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 49 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 Saluda: 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 Saluda
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s17
- 2000s31(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s9(4 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 13, 1973 | F4 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 1 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 12 mi | 17.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 27.51 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1998 | F3 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 12 mi | 17.7 mi | 0 / 26 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 13, 1955 | F2 | 14 mi | 9.9 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 14 mi | 23 mi | 1 / 38 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 5.68 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 2018 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 9 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 95, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saluda
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Saluda since 1984, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently December 18, 2024. The most recent report is from December 18, 2024. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saluda
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saluda, SC, 3 miles south of Saluda at 480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 32°F. March is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.0 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (23.6 of 47.0 inches). September has brought the most of the 37 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 68 nights a year. That 47.0 inches is more than at 30 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (38%). Johnston, 14 miles south, has its own station (Johnston 4 SW, SC): 48.4 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 32 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 59 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Mar | 66 | 40 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 75 | 48 | 3.1 | 6 |
| May | 83 | 58 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Jul | 93 | 70 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 56 | 34 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Year | 74 | 50 | 47.0 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saluda, SC (480 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 Saluda
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saluda: 135 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $717,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 11, 2025.
July 31, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Saluda — $210,000 damage.
August 11, 2025: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Saluda — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Saluda County emergency manager reported a couple chicken houses were destroyed and tin from the roof of a building near Simmons Rd was lifted.”
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
Saluda County, which includes Saluda, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Saluda County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.2 million a year, the 41st highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.9 million (48%), 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 Saluda
- Johnston, SC14 mi
- Ninety Six, SC15 mi
- Batesburg, SC17 mi
- Ridge Spring, SC17 mi
- Prosperity, SC17 mi
- Edgefield, SC18 mi
- Leesville, SC19 mi
- Newberry, SC20 mi
- Cross Hill, SC20 mi
- Gilbert, SC23 mi
- Trenton, SC23 mi
- Greenwood, SC25 mi
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