Varnville, South Carolina
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1918 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Hampton-Varnville census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29944. The Survey maps it on the Hampton quadrangle. 1,669 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 108 feet above sea level.
On record in Varnville
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Hattie J. Peeples Houselisted 1992
Population over time
3 figuresVarnville fell from 2,074 to 1,669 between 2000 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,074 | |
| 2010 | 2,162 | +88 (+4%) |
| 2020 | 1,669 | -493 (-23%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 16 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.
- 1918 USGS Varnville quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1944 USGS Varnville quadrangle1:62500
- 1947 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000
- 1948 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Savannah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1981 USGS Sylvania quadrangle1:100000
- 1988 USGS Hampton quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
339 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 339 fires within 5 miles of Varnville between 1992 and 2020, burning about 827 acres in total. 13 started naturally. 62 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 | 120 |
| Debris and open burning | 112 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 62 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 19 |
| Natural | 13 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 September 2005 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 September 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 August 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 August 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 August 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 August 2001 | Natural | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
34 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Varnville in 34 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 24 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 2 tornado, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | $4,000 | Broadcast media reported trees down on Highway 278 and Highway 68 near Varnville. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | $4,000 | A county official reported numerous trees down along Yemassee Highway and Walterboro Highway. |
| November 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | $2,000 | Numerous Trees and Power lines down. Scattered power outages. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Varnville | $1,000 | Maple Street, Main Street and several others were flooded and closed. |
| March 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | $1,000 | The South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a tree down near the intersection of Highway 68 and Highway 278. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | $1,000 | Law enforcement reported a tree down on Millpond Road. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | $1,000 | Shingles and tin blown off roofs. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | The Hampton County 911 Call Center reported a tree down on Highway 68 near the intersection with Grays Highway. |
| April 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Varnville | - | A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team confirmed an EF-0 tornado with an estimated maximum wind speed of 82 mph in Hampton County, South Carolina. The weak tornado initially touched down just west of Pepper Street, then tracked northeast across U.S. 278, snapping and uprooting trees and causing minor roof damage to one home near the intersection of Oak Street and Howard Street. The tornado then continued a northeast path across a mostly wooded area, where it snapped and uprooted trees, before ending in an open field just east of the intersection of Papas Road and Mill Pond Road, where it snapped and uprooted a few more trees, overturned utility trailers, and threw a small grain bin. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Varnville | - | A trained spotter reported quarter sized hail at the North District Middle School that lasted for about 5 minutes. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Hampton County dispatch reported two trees down. One tree was down near Roberts Street and another tree was down on Yemassee Highway near Almeda. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a tree down near the intersection of Kerrison Street and Marion Street. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Varnville | - | A report via social media indicated golf ball size hail near the intersection of Highway 278 and Highway 68. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | A report received via social media indicated multiple trees down on Highway 278 near Varnville. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Law Enforcement reported a tree down near the intersection of Pocotaligo Road and Highway 278. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Two trees were reported down near Varnille and Hampton, South Carolina. The first tree was reported down on Hickory Hill Road between Pocotaligo Road and Two Sisters Road. The second tree was reported down on 3rd Street Northeast. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | The Hampton County 911 Call Center reported a tree down on Highway 278 between Almeda and Pocotaligo Road. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | The South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a tree down at Taylor Street off Carolina Avenue. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Law enforcement reported a tree down across Mill Pond Road. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | South Carolina Highway Patrol reported a tree down at the intersection of Yemassee Highway and Chanel Drive. |
| November 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Hampton County warning point reported a tree blown down on Hickory Hill Road in Varnville. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | The South Carolina Highway Patrol reported several trees down in the Varnville Area. |
| April 2013 | Hail | Varnville | - | Broadcast Media reported hail 3/4 inch hail in Varnville. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Varnville | - | Dennis Blvd was reported closed due to flash flooding. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Varnville | - | A trained weather spotter reported a weak rope Tornado near Almeda, South Carolina. The Tornado was seen in contact with the ground for approximately 2 minutes. No damage resulted from the weak Tornado. |
| November 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and power lines along Highway 278. |
| February 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Several trees and power lines were down. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Numerous trees were down in and around the town. |
| March 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Several trees down. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Trees and powerline down. |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Varnville | - | Trees and powerlines down. |
| July 2006 | Hail | Varnville | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Varnville | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Hail | Varnville | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory Hill (historical) | 1.9 miles | 16 | |
| Almeda | 2.1 miles | 16 | |
| Hampton | 3.2 miles | 16 | |
| Camp Branch | 4.1 miles | 16 | |
| Crocketville | 4.6 miles | 16 | |
| Pond Town | 5.5 miles | 16 | |
| Halls Mill | 6.1 miles | 16 | |
| Speaks Mill | 6.3 miles | 16 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Varnville | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3239747 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1251290. 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.
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.








