EF1 Tornado — Chester, South Carolina

2020-05-05 · near Beckhamville, Chester, South Carolina

Event narrative

NWS storm survey found a second tornado developed across southeast Chester County, beginning along Old Catholic Church Rd, a little over a mile south of Highway 97, or just west of I-77. The tornado initially moved east, crossing Interstate 77, and downing trees and snapping large limbs across Mountain Gap Road, Ross Dye Road and Georgetown Road, before turning southeast. The tornado crossed Highway 21 into the town of Great Falls and produced additional tree damage along Walnut Street, Hampton Street, Duke Street, and Republic Street. A house on Republic St received significant damage from a fallen tree. The tornado moved over the Catawba River southeast of Great Falls, crossing Big Island and Pickett Island before moving into southwest Lancaster County, where the tornado strengthened.

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 → (34.5920, -81.0260)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 895061. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.