South Carolina tornado risk
Lexington County has the highest tornado risk in South Carolina, scoring 97.6 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across South Carolina have decreased 19% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexington County | 97.6 | Relatively High | 24 |
| 2 | York County | 96.9 | Relatively High | 4 |
| 3 | Horry County | 96.7 | Relatively High | 20 |
| 4 | Greenville County | 96.6 | Relatively High | 10 |
| 5 | Richland County | 95 | Relatively High | 8 |
| 6 | Florence County | 94.6 | Relatively High | 3 |
| 7 | Anderson County | 90.8 | Relatively High | 7 |
| 8 | Lancaster County | 88.5 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 9 | Spartanburg County | 88.1 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 10 | Aiken County | 87.4 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 11 | Greenwood County | 85.6 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 12 | Chesterfield County | 84.7 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 13 | Darlington County | 84.4 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 14 | Cherokee County | 82.6 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 15 | Beaufort County | 82 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 16 | Oconee County | 81 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 17 | Newberry County | 80.9 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 18 | Dillon County | 80.2 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 19 | Union County | 79.1 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 20 | Berkeley County | 78.1 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 21 | Marion County | 75 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 22 | Sumter County | 74.9 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 23 | Dorchester County | 74.8 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 24 | Chester County | 74.5 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 25 | Marlboro County | 73.7 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 26 | Kershaw County | 72.9 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 27 | Charleston County | 71 | Relatively Moderate | 20 |
| 28 | Fairfield County | 70.5 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 29 | Abbeville County | 66.3 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 30 | Orangeburg County | 66.3 | Relatively Moderate | 23 |
| 31 | Barnwell County | 66.1 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 32 | Laurens County | 65.2 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 33 | Saluda County | 64 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 34 | Colleton County | 60.6 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 35 | Clarendon County | 60.3 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 36 | Lee County | 60.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Pickens County | 55.4 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 38 | Georgetown County | 54.8 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 39 | Williamsburg County | 44.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 40 | Hampton County | 42.9 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 41 | Allendale County | 42 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 42 | McCormick County | 40.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 43 | Calhoun County | 37.9 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 44 | Jasper County | 35.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 45 | Bamberg County | 35.5 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 46 | Edgefield County | 34.2 | Relatively Low | 3 |
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.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in South Carolina:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in South Carolina?
Lexington County, SC has the highest tornado risk in South Carolina, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 97.6 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes tornado risk in South Carolina?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.