USA.com / South Carolina / Richland County / White Rock, SC / Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
White Rock, SC Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in White Rock is about the same as South Carolina average and is lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in White Rock is higher than South Carolina average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #77
| White Rock, SC | 0.37 |
| 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, #1
| White Rock, SC | 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, #37
| White Rock, SC | 174.53 |
| 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 3,575 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of White Rock, SC 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: | 6 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 35 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 131 | Hail: | 1,044 | Heat: | 6 | Heavy Snow: | 19 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 20 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 18 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,129 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 31 | Winter Weather: | 19 |
| Other: | 114 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near White Rock, SC.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near White Rock, SC.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 28.1 | 1945-07-26 | 5.6 | N/A | 34.5 | -81.5 |
| 16.4 | 1968-09-22 | 3.7 | N/A | 34 | -81.5 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 55 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near White Rock, SC.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.0 | 1964-08-29 | 2 | 34°08'N / 81°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Richland | |
| 4.1 | 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 |
| 5.8 | 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 |
| 11.0 | 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 |
| 11.4 | 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 |
| 14.1 | 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 |
| 14.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 14.5 | 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 |
| 15.3 | 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 |
| 15.5 | 1994-08-16 | 3 | 33°55'N / 81°15'W | 0.30 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lexington | |
| Brief Description: Tornado completely destroyed a square stick frame home. | |||||||||||
| 15.9 | 1957-04-05 | 2 | 33°50'N / 81°32'W | 34°02'N / 81°15'W | 21.30 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Lexington |
| 16.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 16.7 | 1994-08-16 | 2 | 33°54'N / 81°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 25 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lexington | |
| Brief Description: Tornado demolished the north portion of a mini-warehouse complex near the SC602 and SC6 intersection. It moved northward and overturned three cars in Redbank, blew down trees and power lines. | |||||||||||
| 16.9 | 1976-05-15 | 2 | 34°02'N / 81°00'W | 34°05'N / 80°59'W | 3.80 Miles | 40 Yards | 1 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Richland |
| 17.4 | 1975-11-12 | 2 | 34°00'N / 81°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 7 | 250K | 0 | Richland | |
| 17.8 | 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 |
| 19.4 | 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 |
| 22.2 | 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 | |||||||||||
| 23.2 | 1997-07-23 | 2 | 33°51'N / 81°03'W | 33°53'N / 81°01'W | 3.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 6 | 917K | 25K | Lexington |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado producing winds to 150 mph killed a 32 year old female and injured 6 others. Two homes were destroyed and 9 others had major damage. Two apartements were destroyed (duplex). Seven mobile homes were destroyed and 94 had minor damage. Numerous trees were down and two crop fields had areas of destroyed crops. F32PH | |||||||||||
| 23.8 | 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 |
| 25.8 | 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 |
| 26.1 | 1955-03-13 | 2 | 33°51'N / 81°40'W | 33°53'N / 81°30'W | 9.90 Miles | 133 Yards | 2 | 10 | 250K | 0 | Saluda |
| 26.9 | 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 |
| 27.9 | 1987-08-31 | 2 | 33°56'N / 80°51'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Richland | |
| 29.2 | 2008-03-15 | 2 | 34°10'N / 80°49'W | 34°10'N / 80°42'W | 7.00 Miles | 1230 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0K | Kershaw |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado went through the Elgin community doing heavy damage to many homes including partial to total roofs gone and destroying 4 mobile homes. None of the mobiles were tied down and crumbled from rolling. Numerous trees and powerlines were down and 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. | |||||||||||
| 29.4 | 1967-05-29 | 2 | 33°55'N / 80°50'W | 0.50 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Richland | |
| 35.0 | 1969-04-18 | 2 | 34°28'N / 80°48'W | 0.80 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Kershaw | |
| 35.1 | 2004-09-07 | 2 | 33°50'N / 80°45'W | 33°52'N / 80°47'W | 2.50 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 3 | 100K | 0 | Richland |
| Brief Description: NWS survey found 3 mobile destroyed, several others damaged along with a couple of businesses. Three people were injured. Numerous trees and powerlines down. | |||||||||||
| 35.2 | 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 |
| 38.6 | 1998-05-07 | 2 | 33°50'N / 81°53'W | 33°50'N / 81°47'W | 6.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 2 | 500K | 0 | Edgefield |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado touched down west of Johnston and moved into the community just after 8 pm EDT causing major damage to several homes and businesses. | |||||||||||
| 40.3 | 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 |
| 40.4 | 2004-09-07 | 3 | 34°16'N / 80°35'W | 34°21'N / 80°36'W | 7.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Kershaw |
| Brief Description: An F3 tornado demolished several mobile homes and severely damaged cinder block horse stables at a horse farm. A large horse trailer was lifted up and placed on top of the stable. Several outbuildings were destroyed and numerous trees and powerlines were down. | |||||||||||
| 40.4 | 1978-07-25 | 2 | 33°34'N / 81°08'W | 0.10 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Orangeburg | |
| 41.4 | 1997-07-23 | 2 | 34°13'N / 80°34'W | 34°18'N / 80°33'W | 6.00 Miles | 125 Yards | 0 | 1 | 225K | 0 | Kershaw |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado produced winds to 135 mph. Numerous trees were down. Two homes had major damage and three had minor damage. One mobile home was destroyed and three others had minor damage. One person was injured. | |||||||||||
| 42.1 | 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 |
| 42.8 | 1973-12-13 | 4 | 34°11'N / 82°01'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 2 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Greenwood | |
| 43.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 43.4 | 1998-03-08 | 2 | 33°32'N / 81°05'W | 33°32'N / 81°04'W | 1.30 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 80K | 0 | Orangeburg |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado tracked along highway 4 near Pine Hill. It picked up 2 mobile homes, took them 35 ft into the air, and brought them down on top of a 35 ft by 75 ft cinder block building 30 yards away completely destroying the mobile homes and the building. Other damage was done to a couple other mobile and permanent homes, and also to a church roof. A second 12 ft by 24 ft cinder block building was also demolished. | |||||||||||
| 43.7 | 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 |
| 43.7 | 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 |
| 43.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 43.9 | 2004-12-10 | 2 | 33°39'N / 80°47'W | 33°39'N / 80°47'W | 0.50 Mile | 60 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Calhoun |
| Brief Description: Damage survey found an F2 tornado tore most of the concrete roof off a warehouse and damaged several vehicles and other outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 44.2 | 1963-09-28 | 2 | 33°30'N / 81°17'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Orangeburg | |
| 45.0 | 1992-11-22 | 3 | 33°52'N / 82°08'W | 33°58'N / 81°53'W | 15.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Edgefield |
| 45.2 | 1998-05-07 | 3 | 33°53'N / 82°02'W | 33°52'N / 81°57'W | 5.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | Edgefield |
| Brief Description: An F3 tornado touched down near SC highway 61 and moved east to SC highway 36 taking down numerous trees and causing major and minor damage to several homes. | |||||||||||
| 46.0 | 1984-03-28 | 4 | 34°32'N / 80°38'W | 34°33'N / 80°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 530 Yards | 0 | 31 | 25.0M | 0 | Kershaw |
| 46.1 | 2004-12-10 | 3 | 33°34'N / 80°50'W | 33°36'N / 80°49'W | 1.50 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Orangeburg |
| Brief Description: Damage survey found an F3 tornado demolished a brick church, completely destroyed 2 mobile homes and several outbuildings. The main damage occurred on Coulter road. | |||||||||||
| 46.7 | 1976-05-15 | 2 | 33°28'N / 81°02'W | 33°31'N / 81°03'W | 3.80 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Orangeburg |
| 47.5 | 1990-10-22 | 2 | 33°35'N / 80°47'W | 0.10 Mile | 20 Yards | 1 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Calhoun | |
| 48.3 | 1989-05-01 | 2 | 33°24'N / 81°26'W | 33°30'N / 81°22'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Barnwell |
| 48.5 | 1984-03-28 | 4 | 34°33'N / 80°37'W | 34°36'N / 80°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 530 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25.0M | 0 | Lancaster |
| 48.7 | 1989-11-15 | 2 | 34°13'N / 82°07'W | 0.70 Mile | 267 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Greenwood | |
| 48.7 | 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 |
| 48.9 | 1980-05-23 | 2 | 34°39'N / 81°52'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Spartanburg | |
| 49.8 | 1975-11-12 | 2 | 34°40'N / 81°52'W | 0.70 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Edgefield | |
* 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.