Cherokee County tornado history

23 tornadoes touched Cherokee County, South Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (May 5, 1989). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 94 people.

23tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

2killed · 94 injured

60.2 milongest path · 1973

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F03

(E)F113

(E)F25

(E)F31

(E)F41

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 5, 1989	F4	15 mi	700 yd	35	2
May 27, 1973	F3	60.2 mi	150 yd	40	0
Mar 27, 1994	F2	45.4 mi	100 yd	13	0
Aug 16, 1994	F2	10 mi	150 yd	1	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF2	4.9 mi	150 yd	0	0
Aug 16, 1994	F2	4 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 18, 1969	F2	0.5 mi	83 yd	0	0
Mar 27, 1994	F1	33 mi	100 yd	4	0
Aug 16, 1994	F1	30 mi	150 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	21.8 mi	150 yd	0	0
May 22, 2020	EF1	12.7 mi	200 yd	0	0
Apr 4, 1989	F1	8 mi	50 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured
May 22, 2020	EF1	12.7 mi	200 yd	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	21.8 mi	150 yd	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF2	4.9 mi	150 yd	0
Oct 8, 2017	EF1	0.1 mi	100 yd	0
Sep 27, 2004	F1	0.8 mi	50 yd	0
May 29, 1996	F0	0.2 mi	30 yd	0
May 1, 1995	F0	9 mi	50 yd	0
Aug 16, 1994	F1	30 mi	150 yd	0
Aug 16, 1994	F1	3 mi	73 yd	0
Aug 16, 1994	F2	4 mi	100 yd	0
Aug 16, 1994	F2	10 mi	150 yd	1
Mar 27, 1994	F2	45.4 mi	100 yd	13

Deadliest: May 5, 1989, F4, 2 killed.

Nearby counties

Cleveland County, NC29 Spartanburg County, SC38 York County, SC24 Union County, SC22 Gaston County, NC21 Rutherford County, NC13 Polk County, NC4 Chester County, SC17

Questions

How many tornadoes has Cherokee County, South Carolina had?

23 tornadoes touched Cherokee County, South Carolina between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Cherokee County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on May 5, 1989, with a 15-mile path and 2 deaths.

When is tornado season in Cherokee County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (6 of 23). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).