South Carolina heat wave risk
Horry County has the highest heat wave risk in South Carolina, scoring 95 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horry County | 95 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 2 | Richland County | 94.7 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 3 | Lexington County | 92.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 4 | Florence County | 92 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 5 | Beaufort County | 87.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 6 | Aiken County | 86.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Greenville County | 83.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Clarendon County | 83.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Charleston County | 82.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 10 | Orangeburg County | 81.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | Darlington County | 81.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Georgetown County | 80.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Sumter County | 80.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 14 | Spartanburg County | 80.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Anderson County | 78.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 16 | Kershaw County | 76.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Williamsburg County | 75.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 18 | Hampton County | 75.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | York County | 75.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Abbeville County | 74.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 21 | Colleton County | 74.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Allendale County | 73.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Laurens County | 73.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 24 | Jasper County | 71.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Greenwood County | 70.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Union County | 70.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Berkeley County | 70.4 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 28 | Fairfield County | 69.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Dorchester County | 69.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Marion County | 67.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Oconee County | 65.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Marlboro County | 63.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Barnwell County | 62.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Dillon County | 61.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Pickens County | 60.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Chesterfield County | 58 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Lancaster County | 57.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Newberry County | 56.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Cherokee County | 51.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Bamberg County | 50.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 41 | Lee County | 46.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Saluda County | 44.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 43 | Edgefield County | 44.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 44 | Calhoun County | 41.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 45 | Chester County | 41.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 46 | McCormick County | 34 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Heat Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in South Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest heat wave risk county in South Carolina?
Horry County, SC has the highest heat wave risk in South Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 95 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes heat wave risk in South Carolina?
Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.