Marion County, South Carolina: Natural Disaster Risk and History
Marion County, South Carolina has a Relatively Low natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025): a score of 80.7 out of 100, higher than about 80% of US counties, with hurricanes, cold waves and earthquakes scoring highest of its 18 hazards and $27 million a year in expected losses.
OpenFEMA lists 26 federal disaster declarations that included Marion 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 12 tornadoes touching Marion County from 1950 to 2025.
Live weather alerts for South Carolina All official warnings Latest FEMA declarations
Population 29,137 Buildings worth $6.8 billion Area 499 sq mi Risk rank in South Carolina 21 of 46 FIPS 45067
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 | 94.8 | $13 million | about once every 3.7 years | 84 |
| Cold wave | Relatively High | 91.3 | $5.0 million | about once every 2.1 years | 9 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 80.0 | $1.0 million | about once every 388 years | — |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 75.0 | $1.9 million | about once every 3.8 years | 9 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 72.7 | $158,655 | about once every 1.3 years | 52 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 68.5 | $99,400 | about once every 730 years | — |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 67.3 | $501,338 | about 9.1 a year | 150 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 67.2 | $278,939 | about 58 a year | 103,906 strikes |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 61.7 | $479,393 | about 3.6 a year | 135 |
| Inland flooding | Relatively Low | 55.5 | $4.9 million | about once every 1.6 years | 18 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 52.7 | $181,679 | about 3.1 a year | 119 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 44.2 | $33,007 | about 1.6 a year | 30 |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 36.1 | $28,580 | about 15 a year | 455 |
| Coastal flooding | Very Low | 17.2 | $14 | about once every 100 years | — |
| Landslide | Very Low | 13.3 | $30 | about once every 11 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 26
Most common: Hurricane 16, Severe Ice Storm 3, Tropical Storm 2, 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 | 6 | Hurricane ×3, Tropical Storm ×2, Winter Storm |
The last 10
Widest declarations that included Marion 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: 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 12
| Tornadoes touching the county | 12 |
|---|---|
| Strongest-rated | (E)F4 ×1 |
| Peak month | June (4) |
| Deadliest | 10 Jun 1982, F2, 6 mi path, 0 killed, 16 injured |
| Longest path | 22 Feb 1962, F2, 8.7 mi path, 0 killed, 1 injured |
| Most recent | 27 Sep 2024, EF0, 3.9 mi path |
| Deaths / injuries on those paths | 0 / 19 |
| Rating | (E)F0 | (E)F1 | (E)F2 | (E)F3 | (E)F4 | (E)F5 | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Decade | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
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 Marion County compares with its 5 nearest counties
| County | Distance | Overall risk | Score | Top hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County (this page) | — | Relatively Low | 80.7 | Hurricane |
| Florence County | 32 km | Relatively Moderate | 89.6 | Hurricane |
| Dillon County | 35 km | Relatively Moderate | 84.3 | Hurricane |
| Horry County | 38 km | Relatively High | 98.2 | Hurricane |
| Williamsburg County | 61 km | Relatively Moderate | 82.1 | Hurricane |
| Darlington County | 62 km | Relatively Low | 72.3 | Hurricane |
Nearest by distance between county centres. Every county in South Carolina, ranked.
Vulnerability and resilience
| Social vulnerability | Very High 93.8 |
|---|---|
| Community resilience | Relatively Low 26.9 |
| Community risk factor | 1.67 |
| Expected annual loss, all hazards | $27 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 Marion 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
- Cold wave: Carbon monoxide in winter · 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 Marion County
What natural disasters is Marion County, South Carolina most at risk from?
Marion County, South Carolina has a Relatively Low natural-hazard risk rating in FEMA's National Risk Index (v1.20, December 2025): a score of 80.7 out of 100, higher than about 80% of US counties, with hurricanes, cold waves and earthquakes scoring highest of its 18 hazards and $27 million a year in expected losses.
How many federal disaster declarations has Marion County had?
OpenFEMA lists 26 federal disaster declarations that included Marion 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 Marion County?
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center recorded 12 tornadoes touching Marion County from 1950 to 2025. The deadliest: 10 Jun 1982, F2, 6 mi path, 0 killed, 16 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.