Colleton County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Colleton County: 0.
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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 26, 2024Tropical Storm, Southern Colleton$576,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds associated with Helene produced widespread tree damage across the entire county. Colleton County Emergency Management reported at least 14 homes impacted across the entire county during the event, with 1 of these homes sustaining major damage.

2. Sep 26, 2024Tropical Storm, Northern Colleton$576,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds associated with Helene produced widespread tree damage across the entire county. Colleton County Emergency Management reported at least 14 homes impacted across the entire county during the event, with 1 of these homes sustaining major damage. The peak wind gust measured in the county during the event was 58 mph at Lowcountry Regional Airport (KRBW).

3. Oct 4, 2015Flash Flood$508,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement reported Ivanhoe Road closed between Forest Hill Road and West Washington Street due to flooding.

4. Oct 3, 2015Flash Flood$508,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An emergency manager and law enforcement reported a few roads closed due to flooding. Ritter Road was closed at the intersection with Cooks Hill Road and Ford Lane was washed out due to flooding.

5. Oct 3, 2015Flash Flood$508,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An emergency manager reported Bennetts Point Road at the 2600, 4300, 4500 and 12200 block closed due to flooding.

6. Oct 3, 2015Flash Flood$508,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An emergency manager reported a few roads near Walterboro closed due to flooding. Roads closed due to flooding included Cane Branch Road and Ruffin Road at a railroad crossing. Dodge Lane was also washed out due to flooding.

7. May 22, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread wind damage across the Walterboro area from Supercell thunderstorm. Wind estimates of 60 to 70 mph throughout town with numerous reports of trees down some of which fell on homes. Numerous power lines and power poles down as well.

8. Apr 15, 2007Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This Tornado overturned 3 mobile homes and shifted another 7 mobile homes off there foundations. It tore the skirting away from another mobile home, destroyed a storage shed, and snapped off or uprooted dozens of trees. A couple of trees fell on a house. A vehicle and an outbuilding were also damaged. There were 9 minor injuries. Winds with this Tornado were estimated to be 100 mph using the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

9. Feb 24, 2012Tornado$125,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service damage survey team confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down near Islandton, South Carolina. The tornado initially touched down along Jamison Road and traveled east/northeast before lifting along Highway 63. The worst damage occurred along Forks Road and Jamison Road where the tornado damaged or destroyed several structures. At least 3 mobile homes sustained roof damage and at least 30-35 trees were either completely uprooted or snapped. The tornado also snapped several power poles. The most significant damage occurred around 591 Jamison Road.

10. Apr 15, 2007Tornado$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    This Tornado snapped off or uprooted hundreds of trees...destroyed a large framed barn with debris spread over a half mile to the northeast. A large object hit a house breaking out three windows and knocking some of the bricks loose. Siding was also torn from the house. A large 8000 pound horse trailer was lifted up and carried 500 feet. An 800 pound grain wagon was lifted and carried 400 feet before landing on the ground. A bass boat was flipped over and a 4 wheeler was damaged along with other farm equipment. A tree also fell on a mobile home. Winds with this Tornado were estimated to be 110 mph using the new Enhanced Fujita Scale.

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

110°FJul 4, 1997

All-time low

0°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

85°FJun 19, 2010

Coldest day

17°FFeb 14, 1899

Wettest day

11.32 inOct 8, 2016

Snowiest day

12.0 inFeb 10, 1973

Hottest year

1900mean 67.8°F

Coldest year

1969mean 62.7°F

Wettest year

196474.38 in

Driest year

193125.72 in

Snowiest season

12.0 in1972-73

Station Yemassee 1 N (USC00389469), 44 ft elevation, 18.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1899 to September 30, 2026; 90.6% 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 USC00389469.
• 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.
• 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.