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EF2 tornado in Darlington County, South Carolina

Tornado April 25, 2010 · Darlington County, South Carolina

EF2
Rating
0.6 mi
Path length
50 yd
Path width
3
Injuries
$750K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 50 yards (0.03 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 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 EF2 tornado with winds estimated to 130 mph. The tornado first touched down in a stand of pine trees, snapping approximately 30 of them several feet off the ground. The largest of the snapped trees was 12 inches in diameter. The tornado then moved east into a cluster of homes and mobile homes along East 7 Pines Street. One mobile home was blown 20 yards off its frame and was completely destroyed. The debris was blown into another single wide mobile home which was subsequently destroyed. A large pecan tree was uprooted before the tornado lifted off the ground. The damage was rated EF1 with winds to 100 mph. The second touchdown occurred a few hundred yards to the east. The tornado moved over a stand of trees and descended practically on top of a two story single family residence located on East 7 Pines Street. This dwelling was blown off its foundation and flipped over onto two automobiles and in the process was completely destroyed. Three people were in the home at the time. They took shelter in an interior hallway moments before the tornado struck. They were transported to the hospital, treated for minor injuries and released. A Ford Ranger Pickup was lifted and dropped approximately 50 yards away. A horse trailer was lifted and dropped 100 yards away. A large wood framed workshop and horse barn were also destroyed. The tornado moved east approximately two tenths of a mile and damaged or uprooted several trees as it lifted. The damage was rated EF2 with winds to 130 mph.

The wider storm

A thunderstorm developed along a surface boundary during the evening. The thunderstorm developed supercell characteristics soon after moving into Darlington County and spawned several tornadoes over its lifetime.

Began near Oats (34.2670, -80.0290).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 223829. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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