EF1 Tornado — Laurens, South Carolina

2023-03-03 · near Hickory Tavern, Laurens, South Carolina

Event narrative

NWS storm survey determined that a tornado touched down in northwest Laurens County, just west of Fairview Rd and traveled east/northeast toward Barnyard Rd. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along this segment of the path, and a couple of large trees fell on and damaged a home on Barnyard Ct. The tornado continued E/NE, downing additional trees as it crossed Deck Rd and Greenpond Rd. The path became more intermittent at that point until it approached the town of Gray Court, where tree damage again became more concentrated. The tornado continued E/NE of Gray Court, mostly remaining to the south of, but roughly paralleling Highway 92 until crossing Highway 221. The tornado then crossed the Enoree River into Spartanburg County about 1.5 miles southeast of the town of Enoree. Dozens of large trees were snapped or uprooted in the area between Gray Court and the county line.

Wider weather episode

Multiple lines and clusters of thunderstorms moved into upstate South Carolina during the late afternoon and evening ahead of a cold front. Multiple reports of wind damage were received across the Piedmont and foothills. Meanwhile, a weak tornado tracked across northern Laurens County into far southern Spartanburg County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.5890, -82.2260)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1090601. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.