Berkeley County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Berkeley County: 1.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 10, 1998Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   After two brief earler touchdowns in Dorchester County, the supercell crossed Interstate 26 into Berkeley County where the most extensive damage occurred. There were 442 homes damaged (17 destroyed, 113 major damage, and the remainder had minor damage. Areas hardest hit were Frankie Lane and Royale Road, where numerous mobile homes were located. There was a 90 year old female who was injured severely when her mobile home was flipped and throuwn more than 40 feet. She died several hours later. Several eye witnesses reported seeing vortices rotating around the main funnel. This fact was born out by the damage pattern in several areas.

2. Sep 3, 1998Tornado$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Seventy-three (73) homes were damaged, fourteen mobile homes destroyed and seven (7) homes destroyed. The Fairlawn sobdivision, just southeast of Moncks corner was hardest hit.

3. Sep 27, 2024Tropical Storm, Inland Berkeley$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds associated with Helene produced scattered trees down across the entire county. Berkeley County Emergency Management reported at least 4 homes with minor damage across the entire county. The peak wind gust in the county during the event was 44 mph at the Berkeley County Airport (KMKS).

4. Oct 4, 2015Flash Flood$648,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An emergency manager, law enforcement and the Coast Guard reported several roads closed and swift water rescues being made due to flooding between Huger, SC and Cainhoy, SC. Swift water rescues were underway in the Cainhoy area where cars were also reported floating in high water during early morning hours of October 4th. The Coast Guard released a video of an aerial rescue of a woman and infant child from a flooded house in Huger during the late morning hours of October 4th. The video also depicted widespread flooding of structures in the surrounding area. The intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 402 was also reported closed due to flooding.

5. Oct 4, 2015Flash Flood$648,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Social media users posted photos and videos of Gross Avenue washed out with water overrunning the remaining road surface between Farrell Street and Hickory Hill Drive.

6. Oct 3, 2015Flash Flood$648,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement and Naval Weapons Station personnel reported several road closures due to flooding around the Goose Creek area. Roads closed due to flooding included Old Tom Road and Pulaski Street to Von Steuben Street on the Naval Weapons Station, Highway 17A at the intersection with Gants Road, Old Mount Holly Road near Lowes, the 300 block of Anita Drive and Cypress Gardens Road at the intersection with U.S. Highway 52. Knee deep water was also reported at the intersection of Bridgetown Road and Springhall Drive and five feet of water was reported in a structure in College Park, resulting in occupants having to move to the second floor.

7. Oct 4, 2015Flash Flood$648,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement reported several roads closed due to flooding. Roads closed included Jedburg Road at a bridge between Riley Lane and Ernies Way, Old Whitesville Road and Cypress Gardens road from Old Highway 52 to the boat landing. Rising water was also reported on the Interstate 26 on and off ramps at College Park Road. A tree was also reported down across Old Highway 52 near the Berkeley Country Club.

8. Oct 3, 2015Flash Flood$648,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement reported flood waters in homes on Lindy Creek Road.

9. Oct 3, 2015Flash Flood$648,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement and social media indicated several roads and bridges closed due to flooding from St Stephen to Moncks Corner. Ongoing rescues were also being reported from homes along Whitesville Road with many surrounding roads closed due to flooding during the early morning hours of October 4th. Additional roads closed included Highway 17A near Wadboo Creek where water was overflowing the road and Highway 45 near St Stephen where the road was washed out. A bridge on Spring Grove Road was damaged due to flooding near the intersection of Potato Hill Lane. A bridge was also damaged on Gravel Hill Road due to flooding. Another bridge on Betsy Hole Road was flooded and possibly…

10. Oct 3, 2015Flash Flood$648,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Law enforcement reported roads closed due to flooding in the College Park and Sangaree area. Roads closed included Oxford Road where water was flowing over a bridge, Trinity Place and Highway 78 at the intersection with Bell Wright Road.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°FAug 1, 1999

All-time low

6°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

83°FAug 4, 2011

Coldest day

20°FDec 23, 1989

Wettest day

11.50 inOct 3, 2015

Snowiest day

6.0 inDec 23, 1989

Hottest year

1990mean 69.3°F

Coldest year

1940mean 62.6°F

Wettest year

201574.89 in

Driest year

195430.31 in

Snowiest season

8.0 in1989-90

Station Charleston International Airport (USW00013880), 39 ft elevation, 11.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1937 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00013880.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.