Dillon County, South Carolina: Natural Disaster Risk and History
Dillon County, South Carolina has a Relatively Moderate natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025): a score of 84.3 out of 100, higher than about 84% of US counties, with hurricanes, strong winds and earthquakes scoring highest of its 18 hazards and $35 million a year in expected losses.
OpenFEMA lists 27 federal disaster declarations that included Dillon County since 1989, not counting 2 for COVID-19; the latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm, declared 23 January 2026). NOAA's Storm Prediction Center recorded 18 tornadoes touching Dillon County from 1950 to 2025.
Live weather alerts for South Carolina All official warnings Latest FEMA declarations
Population 28,257 Buildings worth $13 billion Area 411 sq mi Risk rank in South Carolina 17 of 46 FIPS 45033
All 18 hazards, highest risk first
FEMA National Risk Index| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected loss a year | How often | Events in record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 96.3 | $20 million | about once every 4.0 years | 75 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 89.0 | $1.3 million | about 3.6 a year | 137 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 85.4 | $1.9 million | about once every 407 years | — |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 81.3 | $310,065 | about once every 510 years | — |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 80.2 | $2.7 million | about once every 4.6 years | 17 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 78.3 | $239,067 | about once every 1.3 years | 53 |
| Cold wave | Relatively Low | 63.6 | $1.1 million | about once every 2.1 years | 9 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 61.6 | $411,764 | about 8 a year | 129 |
| Inland flooding | Relatively Low | 61.5 | $6.3 million | about once every 5.6 years | 5 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 61.1 | $261,307 | about 3.4 a year | 131 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 58.6 | $210,763 | about 56 a year | 98,183 strikes |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 52.1 | $45,967 | about 2.5 a year | 47 |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 46.9 | $78,946 | about 15 a year | 469 |
| Landslide | Very Low | 16.6 | $51 | about once every 14 years | — |
| Coastal flooding | No Rating | 0.0 | — | about once every 100 years | — |
| Avalanche | Not Applicable | — | — | — | — |
| Tsunami | Not Applicable | — | — | — | — |
| Volcanic activity | Not Applicable | — | — | — | — |
Score: FEMA's percentile among US counties that face the hazard (higher = more risk). Expected loss: FEMA's modelled average yearly loss to buildings, people (as a statistical value) and crops. How often: FEMA's annualised frequency of the hazard in the county; for some hazards it counts event-days, so it is a rough guide, not a forecast. "Not Applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard here.
Federal disaster declarations 27
Most common: Hurricane 16, Tropical Storm 3, Severe Ice Storm 3, Flood 2.
| Decade | Declarations | Incident types |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1 | Hurricane |
| 1990s | 3 | Hurricane ×2, Flood |
| 2000s | 4 | Hurricane ×2, Severe Ice Storm, Severe Storm |
| 2010s | 12 | Hurricane ×8, Severe Ice Storm ×2, Flood, Severe Storm |
| 2020s | 7 | Tropical Storm ×3, Hurricane ×3, Winter Storm |
The last 10
Widest declarations that included Dillon County
- Severe Winter Storm (2026, EM-3632-SC): 46 South Carolina counties designated.
- Hurricane Helene (2024, EM-3619-SC): 46 South Carolina counties designated.
- Hurricane Debby (2024, EM-3606-SC): 46 South Carolina counties designated.
Named storms in its declarations: Tropical Storm Debby (2024), Hurricane Helene (2024), Hurricane Debby (2024), Hurricane Idalia (2023), Hurricane Ian (2022), Hurricane Dorian (2019), Hurricane Florence (2018), Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Matthew (2016), Hurricane Katrina (2005), Tropical Storm Frances (2004), Hurricane Floyd (1999), Hurricane Fran (1996), Hurricane Hugo (1989).
Not counted above: 2 COVID-19 ("Biological") declarations — in 2020 every US county was included. South Carolina also had 2 statewide declarations with no county list.
Tornado record since 1950 18
| Tornadoes touching the county | 18 |
|---|---|
| Strongest-rated | (E)F3 ×1 |
| Peak month | September (5) |
| Deadliest | 20 May 1980, F3, 10.7 mi path, 0 killed, 26 injured |
| Longest path | 20 May 1980, F3, 10.7 mi path, 0 killed, 26 injured |
| Most recent | 11 Oct 2020, EF1, 0.5 mi path |
| Deaths / injuries on those paths | 0 / 30 |
| Rating | (E)F0 | (E)F1 | (E)F2 | (E)F3 | (E)F4 | (E)F5 | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Decade | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Deaths and injuries are for each tornado's whole path, which can run beyond this county. F-scale ratings before February 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after.
How Dillon County compares with its 5 nearest counties
| County | Distance | Overall risk | Score | Top hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon County (this page) | — | Relatively Moderate | 84.3 | Hurricane |
| Marion County | 35 km | Relatively Low | 80.7 | Hurricane |
| Marlboro County | 36 km | Relatively Low | 57.5 | Ice storm |
| Robeson County, NC | 37 km | Relatively Moderate | 91.1 | Strong wind |
| Florence County | 51 km | Relatively Moderate | 89.6 | Hurricane |
| Scotland County, NC | 51 km | Relatively Low | 63.6 | Hurricane |
Nearest by distance between county centres. Every county in South Carolina, ranked.
Vulnerability and resilience
| Social vulnerability | Very High 87.6 |
|---|---|
| Community resilience | Relatively Low 25.8 |
| Community risk factor | 1.57 |
| Expected annual loss, all hazards | $35 million |
FEMA scales expected losses up where social vulnerability is high (people who may find it harder to prepare, evacuate or recover) and down where community resilience is high. A factor above 1 raises the risk score. For social vulnerability a high rating is worse; for resilience a high rating is better.
Prepare for Dillon County's main hazards
- Right now: National Weather Service alerts for South Carolina · all official warnings on Global Incident Tracker.
- Hurricane: Is there a hurricane now? · Cyclone preparation
- Strong wind: Power outages now
- Earthquake: Earthquakes today · Earthquake safety guide
- Your property's flood zone: FEMA Flood Map Service Center ↗ — this page cannot tell you that.
- Official preparedness guidance: Ready.gov ↗ and your county emergency management office.
What this page shows, and what it misses
FEMA's National Risk Index rates a whole county against every other US county; it is a planning-level estimate for nationwide comparison, not a flood-zone map and not a substitute for a local risk assessment or the risk to one home. Declarations are presidential disaster, emergency and fire management declarations that named this county; state declarations and SBA or USDA designations are not included. Tornadoes are counted when the county is one of up to four listed on the track; 670 tornadoes that crossed a state line carry no county list in NOAA's file and are left out.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Risk Index Dataset: National Risk Index Counties - v1.20.0 (December 2025). Retrieved from https://services.arcgis.com/XG15cJAlne2vxtgt/ArcGIS/rest/services/National_Risk_Index_Counties/FeatureServer/0/query on November 2, 2026, 1:20 PM EST. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), OpenFEMA Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2, retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries on November 2, 2026, 1:21 PM EST. 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).
Tornado records: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database, tornadoes 1950–2025 (https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/data/1950-2025_actual_tornadoes.csv, downloaded 2 November 2026). Public domain; not endorsed by NOAA. Compiled by Global Incident Tracker.
Questions about Dillon County
What natural disasters is Dillon County, South Carolina most at risk from?
Dillon County, South Carolina has a Relatively Moderate natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025): a score of 84.3 out of 100, higher than about 84% of US counties, with hurricanes, strong winds and earthquakes scoring highest of its 18 hazards and $35 million a year in expected losses.
How many federal disaster declarations has Dillon County had?
OpenFEMA lists 27 federal disaster declarations that included Dillon County since 1989, not counting 2 for COVID-19; the latest is EM-3632-SC (Severe Winter Storm, declared 23 January 2026). Another 2 South Carolina declarations were made statewide without a county list.
How many tornadoes have hit Dillon County?
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center recorded 18 tornadoes touching Dillon County from 1950 to 2025. The deadliest: 20 May 1980, F3, 10.7 mi path, 0 killed, 26 injured (deaths and injuries are for the whole path).
Is the National Risk Index a flood zone map?
No. The National Risk Index is a planning-level estimate for a whole county, built for nationwide comparison. It does not tell you the flood zone or the risk of a single property: for that, look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov) and ask your local floodplain manager.