BlockSwitzerland, South Carolina
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1920 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Ridgeland census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29936. It stands on Broad Water. The Survey maps it on the Tillman quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 15 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1920 USGS Hardeeville quadrangle1:62500
- 1943 USGS Hardeeville quadrangle1:62500
- 1947 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000
- 1948 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000
- 1953 USGS Hardeeville quadrangle1:62500
- 1957 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Tillman quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1981 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
584 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 584 fires within 5 miles of Switzerland between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,250 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 134 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 212 |
| Debris and open burning | 199 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 134 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 11 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 10 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 7 |
| Natural | 5 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 2001 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 25 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 17 September 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 15 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 15 September 2009 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 13 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Switzerland: 1 unknown, 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleckley Number 4 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | Sedimentary | |
| Mine # 4 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
28 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Switzerland in 28 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 23 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 funnel cloud, 1 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | 2 hurt, $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees just west of Switzerland. Also, a large limb broke off a tree and landed on a car in Ridgeland. Two occupants in the car received minor cuts and bruises. |
| June 2012 | Tornado (EF1) | Switzerland | $400,000 | A National Weather Service damage survey team evaluated damage that occurred with a severe thunderstorm that moved through portions of central Jasper County Monday afternoon. The team found considerable damage to trees south of Ridgeland with a damage pattern consistent with a tornado.||The tornado touched down just west of Jasper Road between the communities of Okatie and Switzerland and moved rapidly east-northeast before lifting near the intersection of South Carolina Highway 462 and Snake road. The worst damage occurred between Jasper Road and Riley Field Road where the team estimated between 300 and 500 medium to large-size trees were either snapped or uprooted. Some debarking of trees was also noted. This degree of|tree damage was consistent with an ef-1 tornado on the enhanced Fujita scale with winds estimated to be between 85 and 95 mph. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $25,000 | A spotter reported a tree down and on a power line on Jasper Road. Numerous trees were also uprooted or snapped off in the woods on both sides of the road. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $1,000 | Jasper County dispatch reported a tree down along Kato Bay Road near Okeetee Club Road. |
| February 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $1,000 | A tree was reported down along Interstate 95 near mile marker 15. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $1,000 | A tree was reported down on Interstate 95 near mile marker 14. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $1,000 | Law enforcement reported a tree down along Jasper Station Road. |
| September 2013 | Lightning | Switzerland | $1,000 | Law enforcement reported a large oak tree down due to a lightning strike along Jasper Station Road. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $1,000 | A 911 call center reported 1 tree down on Interstate 95 between mile marker 11 and 12. |
| March 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $1,000 | Jasper County 911 call center reported 1 tree down along Interstate 95 near mile marker 10. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $500 | South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a tree down along Interstate 95 southbound at mile marker 12. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $500 | South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a tree down along Interstate 95 southbound at mile marker 14. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $500 | Broadcast Media relayed a report of a tree blown down along the north bound side of Interstate 95 between exit 8 and Ridgeland, South Carolina. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | $500 | A tree was reported down on Purrysburg Road. |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | South Carolina Highway Patrol reported 2 trees down on Interstate 95. One tree was down near mile marker 13 and another was down near mile marker 14. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | Law Enforcement reported a tree down at the intersection of Kato Bay Road and Crow Field Road. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | Law enforcement reported a tree down near the intersection of Kato Bay Road and Crowfield Way. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | The Jasper County 911 Call Center reported numerous trees blown along Interstate 95 near mile marker 16. |
| April 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | Law enforcement reported a tree down on Interstate 95 near mile marker 15. |
| April 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | A Jasper County emergency manager reported a tree down on Okatie Village Drive. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a tree down on Argent Boulevard before the Hardeeville Fire Department. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | South Carolina Highway Patrol reported power lines down at Bees Creek Road and Scarlett Ibis Drive. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | The Jasper County 911 Call Center reported a tree down on I-95 southbound near mile marker 15. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | A member of the public reported several small pine trees snapped by strong thunderstorm winds. Winds were estimated to be around 60 mph. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Switzerland | - | A trained spotter reported multiple trees down in the Old Bailey Loop area, with one tree down across Highway 17 in Switzerland. |
| July 2009 | Funnel Cloud | Switzerland | - | The public reported a funnel cloud near Okatie, South Carolina. |
| September 1999 | Hail | Switzerland | - | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Switzerland | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchellville | 2.5 miles | 15 | |
| Ridgeland | 4.0 miles | 15 | |
| Grahamville | 4.0 miles | 15 | |
| Okatie | 5.5 miles | 16 | |
| Deerfield | 5.6 miles | 15 | |
| Tillman | 5.8 miles | 15 | |
| Boyd | 6.1 miles | 15 | |
| Old House | 6.3 miles | 15 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1251099. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.