Marion County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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. Jan 26, 2004Ice Storm, Marion$3.2 million
2. Sep 15, 2018Tropical Storm, Marion$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   At the Marion County Airport, there were four hangers that were destroyed due to strong winds. At least four Robinson helicopters, a fixed wing airplane, and an ultralight aircraft sustained significant damage.

3. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Roadways were reported flooded in Sellers. Homes, cars and other structures were inundated by flood waters. The town hall was also impacted by the flood waters. The report was relayed via the South Carolina Emergency Management.

4. Sep 5, 1996High Wind, Marion$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Fran grazed Marion County with sustained winds near 50 mph, causing damage described as worse than from Hugo in 1989. Downed trees amounted to 3300 tons of debris and caused power outages to 12000 customers, restored Sep 9. Flooding from rains forced closing of factories and mills. Five evacuation shelters housed 953 people. Clean-up costs were more than $1 million. Percentage crop losses were: 5% tobacco, 50% corn, 25% soybeans, 70% cotton.

5. Jul 17, 2004Lightning$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a church, resulting in a fire that completely destroyed it.

6. Apr 9, 2011Lightning$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck the Centenary Baptist Church. It burned to the ground.

7. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant flooding was reported along portions of Drew Road. Adjacent structures were also impacted by the flood waters.

8. May 14, 2024Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm survey of damage in the Marion, SC area indicated that a |tornado touched down briefly on Tuesday May 14, 2024 between 6:10 |PM EDT and was on the ground until 6:13 PM EDT before ending north|of Luther Rogers Road. ||The tornado formed near the intersection of Baker Street and |Baptist Street in southeast Marion, SC. Large limbs were down |across nearby roadways and minor roof damage was observed near |this location. The tornado continued northeast and created some |damage near Mullins Street and Withlacoochee Street. Damage here |remained rated at EF-0 (approximately 70 mph). Power lines were |wrapped around tree limbs and an electrical meter head had been |detached from…

9. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant flooding was reported along Highway 917, near the Horry County line. Adjacent roadways and structures were impacted by the flood waters.

10. Oct 8, 2016Flash Flood$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A portion of Kemper Road was washed out. Adjacent roadways were also impacted by the flood waters.

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

108°FJun 27, 1954

All-time low

0°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

83°FAug 27, 1998

Coldest day

20°FDec 23, 1989

Wettest day

11.74 inOct 8, 2016

Snowiest day

13.0 inFeb 10, 1973

Hottest year

1975mean 67.3°F

Coldest year

1966mean 60.5°F

Wettest year

195964.71 in

Driest year

195427.50 in

Station Florence Regional Airport (USW00013744), 141 ft elevation, 22.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.8% 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 USW00013744.
• 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.