Laurens County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 27, 2024Tropical Storm, Laurens$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thousands of trees were blown down, with dozens of trees down on homes, vehicles, and power lines. Frequent gusts up to 70 mph occurred, with occasional gusts of 80 mph. Three fatalities were attributed to falling trees.

2. Dec 4, 2002Ice Storm, Laurens$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing rain began across upstate South Carolina during the early afternoon of the 4th, and had spread into the eastern piedmont by mid afternoon. Resultant damage due to ice accumulation began during the mid-to-late afternoon. The intensity of the freezing rain increased after midnight, and by dawn on the 5th, devastating ice accumulations of 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches were observed, with the hardest hit areas being along the I-85 corridor, from Anderson, to Greenville-Spartanburg, to Gaffney. Hundreds of thousands lost power, and the outages lasted for as long as 2 weeks in some areas.

3. Jan 13, 2005Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado touched down in the Ekom Community southwest of the city of Laurens, where it damaged a couple of mobile homes. The tornado then tracked northeast to the area around Laurens High School, where some small sheds were destroyed and a portion of the roof removed from a house. At the high school, the roof of a brick concession facility was blown off. Just east of the school, a mobile home was destroyed and a building received significant roof damage. The tornado continued northeast toward the Whelon Rd area, uprooting and snapping off several large trees. A small, frame guest house was damaged and a tractor overturned in this area. The tornado continued to snap and uproot…

4. Jan 2, 1999Ice Storm, Laurens$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A shallow cold arctic airmass in place ahead of a developing storm system in the southern Plains set the stage for a significant ice storm for most of the Upstate during the evening of the 2nd. Patchy sleet began during the late morning and became more widespread and heavier during the afternoon - mixing at times with freezing rain. Sleet accumulated to nearly one inch across the foothills before changing to freezing rain in the early evening. Freezing rain continued through the evening, heavy at times and accumulated to damaging levels. Downed trees and power lines caused widespread power outages, totalling 160,000 across the Upstate. Much of the damage to homes was due to ice…

5. Jun 16, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   NWS survey found an area of extensive straight line wind damage. The damage began near Gray Court, but winds intensified significantly along West Main St in the city of Laurens, mainly in areas from Todd Ave to Laurens High School. Hundreds of trees were snapped off or uprooted. A 29-year-old woman was killed on highway 321 south of the city when a tree fell on her vehicle. Numerous trees fell on homes, causing roof damage. Other trees fell on and destroyed automobiles and outbuildings. For the most part, damage caused directly by the wind was minor. However, a detached garage at the intersection of highway 76 and Stagecoach Rd had its roof blown off, causing two of the walls to…

6. Aug 30, 2006Lightning$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a church, igniting a fire that destroyed the structure.

7. Jul 9, 2013Lightning$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning started a fire at a 4000 square foot home that completely destroyed the structure.

8. Apr 24, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong to severe thunderstorms developed just ahead of a cold front moving south through the Upstate during the afternoon. One particular storm became very severe in the southern part of Greenville county, then moved into Laurens county and caused a considerable amount of damage. Dime size hail was produced near Fountain Inn and Simpsonville, but by the time the storm reached Mountville hail nearly the size of tennis balls was falling. A funnel cloud was spotted near the intersection of US Highway 76 and State Route 252, just west of Laurens. Widespread damage caused by both very large hail and straight line winds then occurred in the Mountville and Cross Hill vicinities, where…

9. Oct 8, 2017Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   NWS storm survey found a second, stronger tornado touched down in Laurens County, approximately 4 miles north/northeast of where the first tornado lifted, or on the east side of Laurens, near the intersection of Fleming St Ext and Torrington Rd. Significant damage was observed along Irwin Rd, between Hazelnut Ct and Cashew Trl, where several manufactured homes were severely damaged or destroyed. An occupant of one of these homes was injured. The tornado continued north/northeast to near the intersection of I-385 and Highway 49. From there, the tornado traveled roughly along Highway 49. A frame home in this area had its roof completely removed and multiple cinder block and brick…

10. Jul 23, 1997Flash Flood$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The remnants of Hurricane Danny moved out of northeast Georgia and across the Upstate from the late afternoon on the 23rd through the early morning of the 24th. Two weak, short-lived tornadoes were spawned. One in Abbeville county downed trees and power lines. Another tornado, this one a little stronger, moved across a garbage truck transfer station in Chester county, lifting a trailer off the ground and turning it over. One mobile home was destroyed, injuring an occupant, and others damaged in Anderson county when straight line winds associated with a spiral rain band/squall moved through. Heavy rain collapsed part of a small strip mall in Clemson. Lightning struck a home in…

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

107°F5 times, most recently Jun 23, 1994

All-time low

−2°F2 times, most recently Jan 22, 1985

Warmest night

89°FJun 24, 1944

Coldest day

20°FFeb 19, 1979

Wettest day

10.72 inSep 26, 1929

Snowiest day

11.0 inFeb 14, 1902

Hottest year

1927mean 63.9°F

Coldest year

1967mean 57.6°F

Wettest year

192974.35 in

Driest year

201626.05 in

Snowiest season

27.0 in1935-36

Station Laurens (USC00385017), 589 ft elevation, 0.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1901 to October 20, 2026; 97.6% 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 USC00385017.
• 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.