Jackson County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Jackson County is about the same as North Carolina average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Jackson County is lower than North Carolina average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #20
| Jackson County | 0.23 |
| North Carolina | 0.18 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Jackson County | 0.0000 |
| North Carolina | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #89
| Jackson County | 53.03 |
| North Carolina | 115.21 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 16,166 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Jackson County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 40 | Dense Fog: | 9 | Drought: | 120 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,194 | Hail: | 4,497 | Heat: | 31 | Heavy Snow: | 126 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 18 | Ice Storm: | 44 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 128 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 8,858 | Tropical Storm: | 23 | Wildfire: | 6 | Winter Storm: | 110 | Winter Weather: | 85 |
| Other: | 877 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Jackson County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Jackson County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 26.2 | 1979-08-26 | 3.7 | 2 | 34.93 | -82.97 |
| 39.6 | 1981-05-05 | 3.5 | 13 | 35.33 | -82.43 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 18 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Jackson County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.9 | 1976-06-28 | 2 | 35°19'N / 83°10'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 19.3 | 1975-01-10 | 2 | 35°09'N / 82°50'W | 35°12'N / 82°48'W | 4.30 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Transylvania |
| 26.3 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 34°58'N / 83°23'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rabun | |
| 27.4 | 1994-06-26 | 2 | 34°51'N / 83°02'W | 34°58'N / 82°56'W | 12.00 Miles | 900 Yards | 0 | 1 | 500K | 0 | Oconee |
| 28.4 | 1973-05-27 | 2 | 34°48'N / 83°17'W | 34°57'N / 82°56'W | 22.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Oconee |
| 30.2 | 1973-05-27 | 2 | 34°52'N / 82°59'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Oconee | |
| 32.5 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°20'N / 83°49'W | 35°23'N / 83°35'W | 13.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Swain |
| 39.4 | 1973-05-27 | 2 | 34°53'N / 82°47'W | 34°59'N / 82°23'W | 23.60 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pickens |
| 43.1 | 1989-05-05 | 2 | 34°38'N / 83°14'W | 34°42'N / 83°12'W | 4.50 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Oconee |
| 43.1 | 1989-04-04 | 2 | 34°40'N / 83°06'W | 34°40'N / 82°58'W | 6.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Oconee |
| 43.4 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 35°16'N / 83°59'W | 35°20'N / 83°49'W | 10.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 11 | 250K | 0 | Graham |
| 44.2 | 1998-01-07 | 2 | 34°48'N / 82°36'W | 34°50'N / 82°36'W | 1.50 Miles | 35 Yards | 0 | 4 | 3.0M | 0 | Pickens |
| Brief Description: A tornado developed from a fast moving severe thunderstorm that raced north out of eastern Georgia. The F2 tornado destroyed several houses and mobile homes and severely damaged many other homes and businesses. Damage was sustained to the south of the track of the tornado due to strong inflow into the storm. Damage from severe thunderstorm winds in the rear flank downdraft occurred north into Easley. A powerful winter storm brought flooding rain, high winds, and a tornado to the Upstate from the evening of the 7th into the early morning of the 8th. Rainfall between 4 and 7 inches during a 2-day period across the mountains and foothills resulted in significant flooding. Many roads and bridges were covered or washed out. A wash out in Pickens county resulted in one fatality. Thunderstorms raced north through the area adding to the deluge as well as creating or enhancing strong to damaging winds. An F2 tornado touched down near Easley. Meso-scale high winds behind the complex of thunderstorms moved across the northern half of Greenville county and blew down trees and power lines. Severe thunderstorm winds combined with strong gradient winds to down trees and power lines in York county as well. | |||||||||||
| 46.1 | 1976-02-18 | 2 | 35°57'N / 83°13'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Cocke | |
| 47.2 | 1973-03-31 | 2 | 34°46'N / 82°37'W | 34°52'N / 82°26'W | 12.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pickens |
| 47.8 | 2008-08-26 | 2 | 34°39'N / 82°48'W | 34°39'N / 82°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Pickens |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado damage path extended from northwest Anderson County, into extreme southern Pickens County, affecting the research area on the south side of the Clemson University campus. Damage was limited to downed trees and power lines. Numerous large trees were snapped off on a ridge very close to the Pickens, Anderson County line, where wind speeds were estimated at close to 120 mph, earning the tornado an EF2 rating. EPISODE NARRATIVE: The remnants of Tropical Storm Fay stalled just west of the Appalachians and slowly dissipated. A line of mini-supercells developed southeast of the low, resulting in several tornadoes over the Upstate and Northwest Piedmont of South Carolina during the afternoon hours of the 26th. A small amount of flash flooding also occurred, though the flooding was much worse in North Carolina. | |||||||||||
| 48.7 | 1989-05-05 | 2 | 34°33'N / 83°19'W | 34°38'N / 83°14'W | 6.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 15 | 2.5M | 0 | Stephens |
| 49.4 | 1989-11-15 | 3 | 34°37'N / 83°36'W | 34°42'N / 83°30'W | 8.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Habersham |
| 49.9 | 1966-12-10 | 2 | 34°35'N / 83°20'W | 0.50 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Stephens | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.