NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Williston, 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
61 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Williston, South Carolina since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Idalia in 2023. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 55
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Williston
The strongest storm to pass near Williston was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 1 hurricane with 93 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 17 miles. The record near Williston begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Idalia in 2023, a tropical storm 58 miles away. Of the 61 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Williston has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 52% of the 246 South Carolina cities on this site. The highest rating among the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on April 5, 2022, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on April 13, 2020, killed 2 people. Of the 87, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 12, 2025. Williston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 246 South Carolina cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1976, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 246 South Carolina cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Williston.
Compare Williston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Williston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | BerylMay 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 61 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1988 | ChrisAug 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormSep 15 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 26 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 16 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | GracieSep 29 | 34 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 26 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 24 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 17 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 8 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 16 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 9 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 31 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 48 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 27 | 71 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 17 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 10 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 69 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormSep 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 1 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 Williston: 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 Williston
By decade
- 2020s12(6 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s23(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s7
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 6 mi | 35.68 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF3 | 24 mi | 34.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 15 mi | 5.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 10 mi | 1.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 4 mi | 8.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | in town | 37.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 10 mi | 14.57 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 23, 1983 | F3 | 15 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 22, 2000 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.8 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF2 | 8 mi | 13.78 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 2015 | EF2 | 19 mi | 19.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Williston
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Williston since 1976, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently March 15, 2008. The most recent report is from May 22, 2020. June has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Williston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Blackville 3 W, SC, 7 miles southeast of Williston at 317 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 46.2 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (24.8 of 46.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 61 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 63 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 39 nights a year. That 46.2 inches is more than at 23 of the 78 South Carolina stations used on this site (29%). Windsor, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Aiken 5SE, SC): 50.8 inches a year, 4.6 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 36 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 61 | 38 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Mar | 68 | 44 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 76 | 51 | 3.3 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 60 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 70 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Sep | 84 | 64 | 4.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 53 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Nov | 66 | 43 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Year | 75 | 53 | 46.2 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Blackville 3 W, SC (317 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 Williston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Williston: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 heavy rain events, 2 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $218,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on January 4, 2023.
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
Barnwell County, which includes Williston, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 3 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Debby, on September 29, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Barnwell County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.4 million a year, the 40th highest of 46 South Carolina counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.4 million (28%), 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 Williston
- Windsor, SC7 mi
- Blackville, SC9 mi
- Barnwell, SC13 mi
- Salley, SC14 mi
- New Ellenton, SC15 mi
- Denmark, SC18 mi
- Wagener, SC18 mi
- Norway, SC18 mi
- Aiken, SC18 mi
- Neeses, SC20 mi
- Jackson, SC23 mi
- Warrenville, SC24 mi
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