EF1 tornado in Orangeburg County, South Carolina

Tornado September 26, 2024 · Orangeburg County, South Carolina

EF1

Rating

13.4 mi

Path length

1,100 yd

Path width

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 1,100 yards (0.62 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 long-track, EF1 tornado touched down east of Canaan, SC on

9/26/24. It produced widespread tree damage along its path

northwestward, producing EF1 damage to trees in multiple spots

west of Cordova, SC. The tornado initially moved north before crossing

Blewer Road and Elder Branch Road, causing EF1 tree damage in the

area. The tornado then turned northwest near Cordova and caused

additional EF1 tree damage along Leraleigh Road. It finally lifted near

Gravel Hill, SC after producing mostly minor tree damage near the town.

The wider storm

Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. During the day on September 26, Helene remained off the coast of Florida and an upper low over the southeast US led to strong moisture transport and strong forcing over the area. Heavy rain rates and training bands led to flash flooding developing. Increasing shear associated with the hurricane also led to the development of several tornadoes in heavy rain bands.

Began near Rowesville (33.3231, -80.9150).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

EF1 Bamberg County EF0 Clarendon County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1207234. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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