EF3 Tornado — Barnwell, South Carolina

2020-04-13 · near Ashleigh, Barnwell, South Carolina

Event narrative

A tornado started just south of Blackville, SC east of Whitehall Drive near Toby Creek. The tornado damaged several chicken houses by causing the walls to collapse in a few places. The tornado then moved northeast crossing a large empty field, before intensifying as it approached a fiberglass coating facility near Lake Cynthia Road. The tornado collapsed a large segment of a 75 ft tall, 150 ft x 150 ft warehouse, with large steel support beams twisted. Thirty cylindrical containers weighing up to 20- 25 thousand pounds each lifted out of their u-shaped saddles and rolled throughout the facility. There was evidence of minimal tree damage east of Blackville but not enough damage to suggest the tornado track continued that far north. As a result, the tornado likely lifted prior to reaching Highway 3. The tornado path length was just under 1.5 miles and had a width of about 40 yards. The tornado was rated EF-3, with peak winds of 140 mph.

Wider weather episode

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.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.3177, -81.2903)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 884326. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.