Historical record — not a forecast
Charleston
Charleston, SC has had 55 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being Hugo (1989, Category 4 Hurricane).
Location 01
Charleston
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The historical record
Storm history
55 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Charleston since 1851, based on NOAA’s HURDAT2 best-track data (1851-2025). Atlantic storm counts before the mid-20th century undercount storms that stayed at sea; aircraft reconnaissance began in the 1940s and systematic satellite coverage in 1966. Storms that struck populated coastline are the most reliably recorded part of the record.
By storm category
- Tropical Depression
- 11
- Tropical Storm
- 29
- Category 1 Hurricane
- 10
- Category 2 Hurricane
- 2
- Category 3 Hurricane
- 1
- Category 4 Hurricane
- 2
By decade
- 1860s
- 1
- 1870s
- 6
- 1880s
- 3
- 1890s
- 4
- 1900s
- 3
- 1910s
- 3
- 1920s
- 4
- 1940s
- 2
- 1950s
- 4
- 1960s
- 2
- 1970s
- 6
- 1980s
- 5
- 1990s
- 1
- 2000s
- 4
- 2010s
- 3
- 2020s
- 4
Strongest & most recent
- Strongest on record
- Hugo (1989, Category 4 Hurricane, 120 kt) passed within 16.5 km in 1989
- Most recent
- Debby (2024, Tropical Storm, 45 kt) passed within 39.7 km in 2024
- Coordinates
- 32.82802, -79.97290
- Basin
- atlantic
Notable storms on record
- Hugo (1989) — Category 4 Hurricane, 120 kt, passed within 16.5 km on 1989-09-22
- Gracie (1959) — Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt, passed within 54.1 km on 1959-09-29
- Unnamed storm (1893) — Category 3 Hurricane, 105 kt, passed within 36.0 km on 1893-10-13
- Unnamed storm (1916) — Category 2 Hurricane, 95 kt, passed within 44.9 km on 1916-07-14
- Unnamed storm (1885) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 28.0 km on 1885-08-25
- Matthew (2016) — Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 37.1 km on 2016-10-08
- Unnamed storm (1878) — Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 54.1 km on 1878-09-12
- Unnamed storm (1874) — Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 4.0 km on 1874-09-28
Historical return intervals
These are plain historical averages — years of record divided by how many times a storm of that strength has passed within 75 km. They are not a probability or a forecast of a future storm; they describe how often storms of each strength have occurred in the past.
- Tropical storm strength or greater
- on average every 4.0 years, historically
- Hurricane strength
- on average every 11.7 years, historically
- Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
- on average every 58.3 years, historically
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Charleston?
Since 1851, 55 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Charleston, SC, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.
What was the strongest storm to affect Charleston?
Hugo (1989, Category 4 Hurricane, 120 kt) passed within 16.5 km in 1989, reaching Category 4 Hurricane strength.
Is this a hurricane forecast for Charleston?
No. This page presents only historical, already-occurred storm data. It contains no forecast, prediction, or safety or evacuation guidance. Return-interval figures above are historical averages, not a probability of a future storm. See our methodology.