EF1 tornado in Fairfield County, South Carolina

Tornado May 9, 2024 · Fairfield County, South Carolina

EF1

Rating

1.9 mi

Path length

250 yd

Path width

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 250 yards (0.14 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A National Weather Service storm survey team confirmed an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 100 mph in southeastern Fairfield County during the early morning hours of May 9th. The tornado likely began west of Interstate 77 near Exit 32. The tornado

moved generally southeast producing downed large limbs along

Cook Road and Boney Road, intensifying as it moved into a

wooded area along Cedar Rock Road. The area of most significant

tree damage was observed along a creek bed north of Cedar

Rock Road with numerous uprooted and snapped trees. One tree

landed on a home on Cedar Rock Road causing roof, siding, and

gutter damage. The tornado continued along Cedar Rock Road causing

intermittent tree damage. The tornado continued beyond the road and

into a wooded area behind The Farm at Ridgeway where additional

tree damage occurred near a pond on the property. The tornado likely

lifted on the property prior to reaching Highway 21.

The wider storm

A significant severe weather event featuring multiple rounds of thunderstorms occurred on May 9th, 2024. The first round, a QLCS, produced three tornadoes in the Midlands of South Carolina.

Began near Smallwood (34.2700, -81.0000).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

2 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF0 Newberry County EF0 Fairfield County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1170111. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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