EF1 tornado in Saluda County, South Carolina

Tornado May 24, 2017 · Saluda County, South Carolina

EF1

Rating

2.9 mi

Path length

75 yd

Path width

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 75 yards (0.04 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

An NWS Storm Survey Team determined that a tornado touched down near Fruit Hill Road just north of Highway 378. Then continued northeast crossing Henley Road and Old Charleston Road. The tornado produced EF-0 and EF-1 damage, traveling a total of 3 miles before lifting near the intersection of Old Chappell Ferry Road and Simmons Road. Numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted along the damage path and sheet metal was lifted off the roof of a small outbuilding. The strongest wind speeds of up to 110 mph occurred on Fruit Hill Road where 2 cedar trees were snapped at the trunks and thrown up to 20 yards.

The wider storm

An upper disturbance ahead of an upper trough, combined with considerable atmospheric instability, moisture, and shear ahead of an approaching surface cold front, to produce shower and thunderstorm activity. Some severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes, strong damaging wind gusts, locally heavy rain, and some hail.

Began near Mayson (33.9900, -81.8800).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

EF2 Saluda County EF1 Lancaster County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 696751. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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