Saluda County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Saluda County: 3.
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.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 27, 2024Tropical Storm, Saluda$16.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread damage to trees and power lines. Many roads closed, some for extended periods of time. Large sections of the county without power for an extended period. Falling trees caused damage to structures across the county. At least 269 homes sustained some level of damage including 23 destroyed and 90 with major damage. South Carolina Forestry estimated 4.2 million dollars in timber loss. An NWS storm survey estimated that max wind gusts were between 80 to 90 mph based on the extent and severity of damage. Three fatalities occurred, including two firefighters responding to a call who died when a tree fell on their truck. Areas of flooding occurred with two day rainfall totals…

2. Apr 24, 1999Hail$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A supercell storm moved se through Saluda county and produced hail to baseball size along its entire path. Damage was done to homes, buildings, farm equipment, vehicles, and crops. The damage path was about three miles wide. Two people were injured by the hail when they were caught outside in the middle of plowing their fields.

3. Jul 31, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$210,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Saluda Standard-Sentinel reported a home at 624 Duncan Road severely damaged from an intense microburst and numerous trees down around the area over southern part of the county near Ridge Springs.

4. Aug 11, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Saluda County emergency manager reported a couple chicken houses were destroyed and tin from the roof of a building near Simmons Rd was lifted.

5. Jul 31, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Public reported trees and large limbs down on Sumter School Road and other secondary roads in the area. Roofs were torn off several outbuildings and a flag pole was blown to the ground.

6. May 7, 1998Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An F1 tornado damaged several buildings and homes and picked up two cotton bin holders and threw them 100 yds.

7. Apr 5, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$40,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Sheriff reported trees down on a home in Saluda.

8. Sep 28, 2016Flash Flood$35,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Fruit Hill Road at Henley Road, Fruit Hill Road at Star Court, Larkin Rice Road between Gregory Lane and Old Chappells Ferry Road, and Hare Avenue at N. Bouknight Ferry Road all impassible and closed. Also, residents of 5 mobile homes were evacuated due to flooding at Mohawk Drive and S. Bouknight Ferry Road. A small amount of water entered 2 of the homes but no significant damage occurred.

9. Apr 7, 2015Hail$24,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Sheriff reported at least quarter size hail putting dents in vehicles.

10. Mar 3, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$20,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Dispatch reported trees and powerlines down countywide.

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

109°F4 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012

All-time low

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

Warmest night

87°FJul 26, 1948

Coldest day

21°FDec 24, 1989

Wettest day

7.74 inOct 4, 2015

Snowiest day

8.0 inDec 11, 1958

Hottest year

1941mean 65.1°F

Coldest year

1976mean 58.9°F

Wettest year

192979.72 in

Driest year

195430.19 in

Snowiest season

13.0 in1972-73

Station Saluda (USC00387631), 480 ft elevation, 4.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1902 to October 23, 2026; 99.0% 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 USC00387631.
• 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.