EF1 tornado in Barnwell County, South Carolina

Tornado April 13, 2020 · Barnwell County, South Carolina

EF1

Rating

82.0 mi

Whole path

800 yd

Path width

Deaths

Injuries

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Aiken County → Barnwell County → Barnwell County → Barnwell County → Orangeburg County → Orangeburg County → Calhoun County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 800 yards (0.45 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 strong, long-track tornado began in Aiken Co SC, within the boundaries of the Savannah River Site, then moved in a general northeast direction. While in Aiken Co, the tornado was rated EF-3. The tornado then crossed into Barnwell Co SC, NW of the town of Williston near Davis Bridge Rd. In Barnwell Co, the tornado was rated as EF-1. The tornado continued to snap and uproot countless trees as it crossed Davis Bridge Rd, and New Forest Rd in N Barnwell Co. The tornado continued moving NE and crossed into Orangeburg Co SC.

The wider storm

A squall line rolled through the region during the early morning hours of April 13, 2020. Strong instability and shear led to numerous severe thunderstorm wind gusts along with several tornadoes. In total, across central SC, there were 5 EF-3 tornadoes, 1 EF-2 tornadoes, and 1 EF-1 tornado. Two fatalities, and several injuries, occurred with the tornadoes.

Began near Williston (33.4481, -81.4285).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

EF3 Barnwell County EF3 Barnwell County EF2 Orangeburg County EF1 Richland County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 884158. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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