NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whitmire, 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 Whitmire, South Carolina since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Whitmire
The strongest storm to pass near Whitmire was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Hugo in 1989, whose centre came within 37 miles. The record near Whitmire begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 75 miles away. The 1880s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 36 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site, 69% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Whitmire. The strongest of the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 28, 1984; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 86, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Whitmire has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1970, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Whitmire.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Whitmire
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 8 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 37 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 2 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | overhead | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 40 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | overhead | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 17 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Whitmire: 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 Whitmire
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s14
- 2000s25(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(2 EF3+)
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1984 | F4 | 19 mi | 21 mi | 5 / 49 |
| May 10, 1952 | F3 | 25 mi | 22.7 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 21 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 17.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 27.51 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F3 | 10 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F3 | 17 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | F2 | 8 mi | 23 mi | 1 / 38 |
| Oct 8, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 22.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 13, 2005 | F2 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1994 | F2 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whitmire
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Whitmire since 1970, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 22, 2019. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. March has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whitmire
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Union 8 S, SC, 8 miles northwest of Whitmire at 480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 29°F. March and December are the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 45.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 36 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (13); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 3.4 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 87 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.4 inches is more than at 16 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (21%). Union, 15 miles north, has its own station (Santuck, SC): 44.6 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 29 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Feb | 57 | 32 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 65 | 38 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Apr | 74 | 47 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 55 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 37 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 32 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 73 | 48 | 45.4 | 68 | 1.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Union 8 S, 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 Whitmire
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 82 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whitmire: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $89,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 17, 2019.
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
Newberry County, which includes Whitmire, 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 Whitmire
- Union, SC15 mi
- Clinton, SC15 mi
- Newberry, SC15 mi
- Buffalo, SC16 mi
- Pomaria, SC17 mi
- Enoree, SC20 mi
- Jonesville, SC23 mi
- Laurens, SC24 mi
- Pauline, SC24 mi
- Little Mountain, SC25 mi
- Prosperity, SC25 mi
- Cross Hill, SC27 mi
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