EF1 Tornado — Chester, South Carolina

2020-05-05 · near Mc Keown, Chester, South Carolina

Event narrative

NWS storm survey found the path of an EF1 tornado that touched down just off Highway 321 near Gregory Rd. The tornado initially moved east/southeast crossing Old Columbia Rd and Ross Rd but turned in a more southeasterly direction between Ross Rd and Boyd Rd. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted and large limbs snapped in this area. Structural damage was confined to some siding stripped off a home on Old Columbia Rd. The tornado continued to cause primarily tree damage as it moved across Boyd Rd and Aiken Chapel Rd although a mobile home was moved off its foundation and received moderate roof damage on Aiken Chapel Rd. The tornado continued southeast before lifting in the area around Discovery Rd. However another tornado later developed about 5 miles southeast of this location.

Wider weather episode

For the second day in a row, thunderstorms, including severe severe storms developed across the mountains and in the vicinity of a stationary front and moved southeast across portions of upstate South Carolina from late afternoon into the evening. In addition to large hail and locally damaging winds, a couple of tornadoes developed across Chester County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.6440, -81.1900)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 895059. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.