Hurricanes that hit York County, South Carolina: hurricane history

26 storms have passed within 50 km of York County from 1859 to 2020, coloured by intensity on the map.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near York County

The record holds 26 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of York County, South Carolina between 1859 and 2020. The busiest month is September, with 10 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 2 strength. 1 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 26storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 3at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near York County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression831%
Tropical storm1454%
Category 128%
Category 214%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity14%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

York County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 3 in 1880s.1850s1880s1910s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s

The 2020s only run to 2020, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1859, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s1
1860s2
1880s3
1890s1
1910s3
1920s1
1940s1
1950s3
1960s1
1970s2
1980s3
1990s2
2000s1
2010s1
2020s1

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 10 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May1Jun1Jul4Aug7Sep10Oct3Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May1
Jun1
Jul4
Aug7
Sep10
Oct3
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near York County

  • Hugo (1989)10 September 1989 to 25 September 1989, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 918 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1893 (North Atlantic)15 August 1893 to 2 September 1893, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 954 hPa
  • Gracie (1959)20 September 1959 to 2 October 1959, Category 1 (65 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 951 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1863 (North Atlantic)11 September 1863 to 20 September 1863, peak Tropical storm (60 kt)
  • David (1979)25 August 1979 to 8 September 1979, Tropical storm (55 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 924 hPa

Most recent storms near York County

  • Bertha (2020)27 May 2020 to 28 May 2020, Tropical depression (30 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (45 kt), 1,005 hPa
  • Michael (2018)6 October 2018 to 15 October 2018, Tropical storm (45 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 920 hPa
  • Jeanne (2004)13 September 2004 to 29 September 2004, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 951 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

Notable storms near York County

  • Gracie (1959)20 September 1959 to 2 October 1959, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 951 hPa

More in South Carolina

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