Union Micro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Union Area is higher than South Carolina average and is lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Union Area is higher than South Carolina average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #77
| Union Area | 1.51 |
| South Carolina | 0.49 |
| 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, #129
| Union Area | 0.0000 |
| South 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, #453
| Union Area | 152.07 |
| South Carolina | 136.91 |
| 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 16,150 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Union Area 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: | 42 | Dense Fog: | 9 | Drought: | 124 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,134 | Hail: | 4,997 | Heat: | 31 | Heavy Snow: | 85 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 16 | Ice Storm: | 49 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 111 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 8,463 | Tropical Storm: | 26 | Wildfire: | 5 | Winter Storm: | 100 | Winter Weather: | 98 |
| Other: | 860 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Union Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Union Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 14.7 | 1945-07-26 | 5.6 | N/A | 34.5 | -81.5 |
| 48.1 | 1968-09-22 | 3.7 | N/A | 34 | -81.5 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 58 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Union Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.4 | 1957-04-08 | 2 | 34°38'N / 81°47'W | 34°38'N / 81°31'W | 15.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Union |
| 5.1 | 1993-04-15 | 2 | 34°42'N / 81°35'W | 34°46'N / 81°30'W | 6.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 2 | 5.0M | 0 | Union |
| Brief Description: Exactly an hour after producing the first severe weather in the upstate, the supercell produced its strongest tornado in South Carolina. A high F1/low F2 tornado struck Union. Property damage resulting from the tornado's winds was estimated about $500,000. More hail damage is likely as the hail accumulated to great depths very quickly and near the tornado track was quite large. Winds were estimated from 60 to 90 mph in downtown sections where plate glass windows were blown out. There was also considerable damage to trees and power lines along with damage from the wind-driven hail. Nearer the tornado track damage was more severe with large trees crushing some homes. Mobile homes were damaged or destroyed, and a couple of houses lost roofs from the wind. The large hail quickly clogged storm drains and an estimated 2 to 3 inches of rain fell causing $50,000 in water damage to equipment in the hospital. Highest winds from south of Union to near Monarch were estimated at 115 mph in a small area. Two people were slighlty injured when a falling tree crushed their car. | |||||||||||
| 8.6 | 1994-08-16 | 3 | 34°38'N / 81°31'W | 34°59'N / 81°49'W | 30.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Union And Spartanburg |
| Brief Description: Tornado began near Santuc as a large multi-vortex F3 tornado. Spotters engaged the storm almost immediately and followed it as it curved north to northwest through the County. The storm had intermittent ground contact of about 30 to 40 percent but there was not a great deal of separation between areas of damage. The path width gradually diminished to about 50 yards from 0.75 mile initially, and the storm intensity gradually weakened to F2 and then to F1 at Pauline. The tornado crossed into Spartanburg County near Pacolet Mills at 1545EST. A well constructed home near Santuc was destroyed, a stationary vehicle was thrown aout 150 yds, and other homes and structures received severe damage along its path. | |||||||||||
| 14.3 | 1975-11-12 | 2 | 34°40'N / 81°52'W | 0.70 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Edgefield | |
| 14.5 | 1980-05-23 | 2 | 34°39'N / 81°52'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Spartanburg | |
| 20.5 | 1994-04-16 | 2 | 34°45'N / 81°17'W | 34°47'N / 81°15'W | 3.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 1 | 4 | 5.0M | 0 | Chester |
| Brief Description: A short-lived, but intense, mesocyclone developed along a squall line ahead of a cold front at about 0045 EST and moved into western Chester County. The mesocyclone intensified within a matter of 10 to 20 minutes into a F2 tornado that touched down four miles southwest of Lowrys and moved four miles to near Lowrys before dissipating. Three mobile homes completely disintegrated, three barns crushed, a new pickup truck was completely destoyed, four mobile homes were damaged, four people were injured (one seriously) and another killed. More than 2000 residents lost electrical power due to the tornado. F64M. | |||||||||||
| 22.6 | 1952-05-10 | 3 | 34°48'N / 82°08'W | 34°48'N / 81°51'W | 16.10 Miles | 83 Yards | 2 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Spartanburg |
| 23.0 | 1969-04-18 | 2 | 35°01'N / 81°42'W | 0.50 Mile | 83 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cherokee | |
| 23.0 | 1984-03-28 | 2 | 34°33'N / 82°05'W | 34°37'N / 81°55'W | 10.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 43 | 25.0M | 0 | Laurens |
| 24.1 | 1984-03-28 | 2 | 34°14'N / 81°45'W | 34°27'N / 81°28'W | 23.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 1 | 38 | 25.0M | 0 | Newberry |
| 24.7 | 1960-03-30 | 2 | 34°25'N / 82°00'W | 34°27'N / 81°50'W | 9.80 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Laurens |
| 25.3 | 1997-02-21 | 2 | 34°55'N / 81°58'W | 34°55'N / 81°58'W | 1.00 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 330K | 0 | Spartanburg |
| 27.5 | 1973-05-24 | 2 | 34°58'N / 81°16'W | 2.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | York | |
| 28.3 | 1984-03-28 | 3 | 34°19'N / 81°25'W | 34°20'N / 81°22'W | 4.00 Miles | 870 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Newberry |
| 28.6 | 1989-04-04 | 2 | 34°54'N / 82°03'W | 2.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Spartanburg | |
| 30.0 | 2005-01-13 | 2 | 34°24'N / 82°08'W | 34°33'N / 82°01'W | 12.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.0M | 0 | Laurens |
| Brief Description: This tornado touched down in the Ekom Community southwest of the city of Laurens, where it damaged a couple of mobile homes. The tornado then tracked northeast to the area around Laurens High School, where some small sheds were destroyed and a portion of the roof removed from a house. At the high school, the roof of a brick concession facility was blown off. Just east of the school, a mobile home was destroyed and a building received significant roof damage. The tornado continued northeast toward the Whelon Rd area, uprooting and snapping off several large trees. A small, frame guest house was damaged and a tractor overturned in this area. The tornado continued to snap and uproot large trees as it moved toward Welcome Church Rd, where 4 mobile homes were damaged and a frame home received minor roof damage. The damage path continued northeast, but ended about 200 yards north of highway 14. After briefly lifting, the tornado struck a tire distribution center just north of the highway 221 I-385 exchange. The roof of a building at the plant was damaged, which sparked a large fire in the building, burning it to the ground. An employee at the plant received minor injuries when debris fell on him. The tornado dissipated near highway 221 north of Laurens. | |||||||||||
| 30.6 | 1985-08-17 | 2 | 34°58'N / 82°00'W | 35°06'N / 81°55'W | 9.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 39 | 2.5M | 0 | Spartanburg |
| 31.8 | 1973-05-27 | 3 | 35°00'N / 82°03'W | 35°10'N / 81°46'W | 19.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Cherokee |
| 32.3 | 1960-03-30 | 2 | 34°15'N / 81°27'W | 34°16'N / 81°21'W | 5.90 Miles | 57 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Newberry |
| 32.8 | 1984-03-28 | 3 | 34°20'N / 81°22'W | 34°21'N / 81°05'W | 15.00 Miles | 870 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Fairfield |
| 32.8 | 1973-12-13 | 3 | 34°12'N / 81°43'W | 34°14'N / 81°25'W | 17.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Newberry |
| 33.5 | 1952-05-10 | 3 | 34°48'N / 82°15'W | 34°48'N / 82°08'W | 6.60 Miles | 83 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Greenville |
| 33.6 | 2008-03-15 | 3 | 34°13'N / 81°45'W | 34°12'N / 81°20'W | 24.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 2 | 2 | 0K | 0K | Newberry |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: NWS Storm Survey found an EF3 tornado touched down near Silverstreet and continued east through Prosperity then crossed into Richald county where it dissipated. Many homes in Prosperity were heavily damaged. Numerous trees and powerlines were down. There were 2 injuries. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Seven supercells tracked across our South Carolina County Warning Area and produced many long-lived tornadoes that did significant damage. Over 85 homes were destroyed, around 400 had moderate damage, and estimates for the total devastation were around 40 million dollars. | |||||||||||
| 33.6 | 1989-05-05 | 4 | 35°05'N / 81°56'W | 35°10'N / 81°50'W | 6.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 2 | 35 | 2.5M | 0 | Spartanburg |
| 34.7 | 1973-05-27 | 3 | 34°55'N / 82°13'W | 35°00'N / 82°03'W | 11.10 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 16 | 2.5M | 0 | Spartanburg |
| 35.1 | 1984-03-28 | 4 | 34°22'N / 81°19'W | 34°25'N / 80°55'W | 21.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 5 | 49 | 25.0M | 0 | Fairfield |
| 35.3 | 1989-05-05 | 4 | 35°10'N / 81°50'W | 35°11'N / 81°48'W | 3.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cherokee |
| 35.4 | 1990-02-10 | 2 | 35°12'N / 81°33'W | 0.40 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cleveland | |
| 35.6 | 1992-11-22 | 3 | 34°07'N / 81°34'W | 34°16'N / 81°21'W | 18.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Newberry |
| 36.7 | 1973-12-13 | 3 | 34°16'N / 82°03'W | 34°17'N / 81°59'W | 4.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Laurens |
| 36.9 | 1994-03-27 | 2 | 35°03'N / 82°03'W | 35°24'N / 81°14'W | 25.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Spartanburg |
| 37.7 | 1973-05-27 | 3 | 35°10'N / 81°46'W | 35°18'N / 81°36'W | 13.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Cleveland |
| 37.9 | 1989-05-05 | 4 | 35°11'N / 81°48'W | 35°15'N / 81°49'W | 6.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rutherford |
| 38.7 | 1973-12-13 | 3 | 34°10'N / 81°54'W | 34°11'N / 81°52'W | 2.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Newberry |
| 38.9 | 1973-12-13 | 2 | 34°10'N / 81°24'W | 34°10'N / 81°20'W | 3.80 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Newberry |
| 39.3 | 1973-12-13 | 2 | 34°12'N / 81°32'W | 34°12'N / 81°00'W | 30.50 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Newberry |
| 40.5 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 34°06'N / 81°32'W | 34°07'N / 81°32'W | 1.00 Mile | 550 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Newberry |
| 40.5 | 1973-12-13 | 3 | 34°16'N / 82°10'W | 34°16'N / 82°03'W | 6.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenwood |
| 40.7 | 1973-05-28 | 2 | 35°06'N / 81°06'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | York | |
| 41.6 | 1973-05-27 | 3 | 34°46'N / 82°26'W | 34°55'N / 82°13'W | 16.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 17 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenville |
| 41.8 | 1973-12-13 | 4 | 34°11'N / 82°01'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 2 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenwood | |
| 43.4 | 2004-09-27 | 2 | 34°20'N / 80°58'W | 34°22'N / 80°59'W | 2.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | Fairfield |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado destroyed 5 mobile homes, did moderate to severe damage to 2 framed homes and injurred 13 people. One 57 year old male died. Two vehicles were moved 20 to 30 yards. M51MH | |||||||||||
| 43.4 | 1989-11-15 | 2 | 34°13'N / 82°07'W | 0.70 Mile | 267 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Greenwood | |
| 43.4 | 2004-09-07 | 2 | 35°05'N / 81°02'W | 35°06'N / 81°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Mecklenburg |
| Brief Description: This tornado moved north from South Carolina, and produced widespread damage to trees and power lines along its 2-mile path across the southwest corner of Mecklenburg County. The roof of a well-constructed home was blown off, and several other homes incurred shingle damage. A sheet of wallboard was torn off a garage wall and blown away. There was additional damage to automobiles and homes due to fallen trees. | |||||||||||
| 44.2 | 1980-04-13 | 2 | 34°34'N / 82°25'W | 34°43'N / 82°22'W | 10.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenville |
| 44.3 | 1973-12-13 | 3 | 34°08'N / 82°10'W | 34°10'N / 81°54'W | 15.40 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 26 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenwood |
| 45.2 | 1964-08-29 | 2 | 34°08'N / 81°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Richland | |
| 45.2 | 1992-11-22 | 3 | 33°58'N / 81°53'W | 34°07'N / 81°34'W | 21.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 1 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Saluda |
| 45.8 | 1979-03-23 | 2 | 34°51'N / 82°24'W | 0.10 Mile | 77 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenville | |
| 46.5 | 1967-05-02 | 2 | 34°50'N / 82°25'W | 1.00 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Greenville | |
| 47.4 | 1992-03-10 | 2 | 35°07'N / 81°00'W | 35°09'N / 80°57'W | 3.40 Miles | 180 Yards | 0 | 18 | 2.5M | 0 | Mecklenburg |
| 47.6 | 1973-03-31 | 4 | 34°15'N / 82°17'W | 34°16'N / 82°15'W | 2.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenwood |
| 47.9 | 2010-03-28 | 2 | 33°59'N / 81°30'W | 34°02'N / 81°25'W | 5.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.0M | 10K | Lexington |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 with max winds of 125mph touched down near Ridge Road and continued northeast to Lake Murray. Around 40 homes had some form of damage with numerous trees and powerlines down. Several vehicles were also damaged and there was one minor injury. One horse was killed when a portion of a barn collapsed. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several supercell thunderstorms moved through the CSRA and Midlands and spawned several tornadoes. Many homes were damaged in Lexington county with several others in Edgefield county. Numerous trees were also taken down. | |||||||||||
| 48.4 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 33°53'N / 81°50'W | 34°06'N / 81°32'W | 29.00 Miles | 550 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Saluda |
| 48.9 | 1969-04-18 | 2 | 34°28'N / 80°48'W | 0.80 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Kershaw | |
| 49.2 | 1989-04-04 | 2 | 34°46'N / 82°30'W | 34°49'N / 82°27'W | 3.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenville |
| 49.4 | 1975-05-18 | 2 | 35°23'N / 81°50'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Rutherford | |||
| 49.4 | 2008-05-09 | 2 | 35°15'N / 81°10'W | 35°16'N / 81°00'W | 9.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 7.0M | 0K | Gaston |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado track began just southeast of Gastonia and continued well into Mecklenburg County on the northwest side of Charlotte. Where the tornado first touched down, part of the roof was blown off the roof of an office building near the intersection of Union Rd and Garrison Bvd. The tornado continued east-northeast to the Garrison Blvd, S New Hope Rd area, where numerous homes and businesses received minor to moderate roof damage and numerous large trees were uprooted. The tornado produced sporadic, mainly minor damage as it moved through McAdenville, where it crossed I-85, blowing several cars off the interstate. The most significant damage was observed in the Catawba Heights/ Belmont area, near I-85, where much of the metal roof was peeled from a large wharehouse, causing 7 million dollars in damage. Another industrial business in this area lost most of its roof. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A mini-supercell thunderstorms produced a tornado with a nearly 20 mile path through the Gastonia and Charlotte metro areas during the early morning hours of May 9th. | |||||||||||
* 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.