South Carolina Rounding out the top five states most affected by hurricanes is South Carolina, which accounts for about 10% of all hurricanes in the US — or 31 hurricanes in total. Unlike its northern counterpart, when hurricanes do hit South Carolina, they tend to be more intense, with 16% classified as major hurricanes.
F rom 1851-2020, 43 tropical cyclones have made landfall along the South Carolina coastline. Of these 43 systems that have directly hit the coast, only four made landfall as major (Category 3+) hurricanes; the 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane, Hurricane Hazel, Hurricane Gracie, and Hurricane Hugo.
Of those, 131 have tracked into the state, 60 were a category 1 hurricane or higher, 43 made direct landfall on the coast and only four were major category 3 or higher landfalls. This means that South Carolina has a 79.7% chance of being impacted by a tropical system each year, even if it doesn’t track directly through the state.
Hurricane Matthew was the most powerful storm of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season, and made its fourth and final landfall near Mc. Clellanville, South Carolina as a category 1 hurricane late in the morning of October 8th.
Understanding hurricanes and tropical storms are an essential piece of South Carolina’s climatology, especially when considering the growth of coastal communities. However, impacts from these systems are not limited to those living along the coast.
Another thing we wanted the answer to was, how many Category 5 hurricanes have hit South Carolina?
Of these 43 systems that have directly hit the coast, only four made landfall as major (Category 3+) hurricanes; the 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane, Hurricane Hazel, Hurricane Gracie, and Hurricane Hugo. There are no Category 5 hurricane landfalls on record for the state of South Carolina .
When does hurricane season start and end?
The first named storm typically forms in mid to late June, the first hurricane tends to form in early to mid-August, and the first major hurricane forms in late August or early September. The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30.
Hurricane Michael left behind destruction in Florida, and the extremely powerful Category 4 storm, packing 155 mph winds, didn’t spare many buildings. The eastern Pacific hurricane season hasn’t been this active since 1992 with Tropical Storm Xavier churning offshore of Mexico.
The areas with the highest return periods for a hurricane of any category are coastal North Carolina, South Florida and Southeast Louisiana, about every 5 to 7 years. Coastal New England has the lowest return period at 30 to 50 years.
What does a hurricane warning mean in Texas?
Hurricane WARNING: An announcement that hurricane conditions ( sustained winds of 74 mph or higher ) are expected somewhere within the specified coastal area. A hurricane warning is issued 36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.
Will Hurricane Dorian hit Cape Cod?
Hurricane Dorian is forecast to make a close encounter with Cape Cod before it eventually makes a landfall in Atlantic Canada, just about two weeks after the storm sprung to life in the Caribbean.