NOUS42 KCHS 221452 CCA PNSCHS GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-231800- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1055 AM EDT SAT MAR 22 2008 ...UPDATED FOR TORNADO PATH LENGTH AND REFERENCE POINTS FOR ALLENDALE AND EFFINGHAM COUNTY TORNADO TRACKS... ...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMS SIX TORNADOES OCCURRED SATURDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON SC DISPATCHED TWO STORM SURVEY TEAMS TO INVESTIGATE THE DAMAGE FROM THE SEVERE WEATHER THAT OCCURRED ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA ON SATURDAY...MARCH 15 2008. BELOW ARE THE FINDINGS... && ...EF1 TORNADO AND STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE CONFIRMED IN DORCHESTER COUNTY NEAR RIDGEVILLE SC... AT 808 PM EDT...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NORTH OF RIDGEVILLE SC ALONG HIGHWAY 78 AT THE CARTERS FAST STOP GAS STATION. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED EF1 DAMAGE...WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 90-95 MPH...WITH METAL ROOF PANELS STRIPPED FROM THE CANOPY. THE TORNADO THEN DAMAGED 2 MOBILE HOMES...STILL PRODUCING EF1 DAMAGE WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 100-110 MPH...MOVING AN UNSECURED MOBILE HOME 5 FT OFF ITS FOUNDATION AND PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT ROOF DAMAGE WITH WINDOWS AND DOORS BLOWN OUT OF A SECOND MOBILE HOME. A CAR WAS ALSO MOVED APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET. THE TORNADO THEN PRODUCED EF0 DAMAGE AS IT MOVED ACROSS A FIELD. THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE TORNADO WAS 2.2 MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH OF ABOUT 40 YARDS. AFTER THE TORNADO LIFTED...STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED FOR ANOTHER 1.6 MILES WITH A WIDTH OF ABOUT .35 MILES. THE STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE CONTINUED TO INTERSTATE 26...JUST SOUTH OF MYERS MAYO ROAD...WHERE LARGE PINE TREES WERE DOWN ON THE ROADWAY. THERE WERE WELL OVER ONE HUNDRED PINE TREES SNAPPED OFF ALONG THE TRUNK OR COMPLETELY UPROOTED ALONG THE DAMAGE PATH. WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 95-105 MPH. && ...EF1 TORNADO DAMAGE CONFIRMED IN BERKELEY COUNTY NEAR MOUNT HOLLY SC... AT 825 PM EDT..A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NORTH OF MOUNT HOLLY SC...NEAR STRAWBERRY...IN THE STRAWBERRY HILL MOBILE HOME PARK JUST EAST OF HIGHWAY 52. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED EF1 DAMAGE IN THE STRAWBERRY MOBILE HOME PARK...WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 100-110 MPH. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE OCCURRED TO TWO MOBILE HOMES...MODERATE DAMAGE TO SIX MOBILE HOMES AND SLIGHT DAMAGE TO ANOTHER SIX MOBILE HOMES. LARGE TREES WERE ALSO SNAPPED OFF ALONG THE TRUNK OR UPROOTED. THIS TORNADO INJURED 7 PEOPLE. THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED ACROSS OLD HIGHWAY 52...LIFTING NEAR ANGEL LANE...WHILE CONTINUING TO PRODUCE EF1 DAMAGE WITH SEVERAL PINE TREES SNAPPED ALONG THE TRUNK OR UPROOTED. THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE TORNADO WAS 0.6 MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH OF ABOUT 530 FT. && ...EF1 TORNADO DAMAGE CONFIRMED IN BERKELEY COUNTY NEAR CAINHOY SC... AT 836 PM EDT...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NORTH OF CAINHOY SC...IN A PLANTATION WEST OF CAINHOY ROAD. THIS TORNADO PRODUCED EF1 DAMAGE...WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 86-95 MPH...AS IT SEVERELY DAMAGED A LARGE STORAGE SHED AND KNOCKED DOWN SEVERAL LARGE TREES. THE TORNADO WEAKENED...PRODUCING EF0 DAMAGE TO MAINLY TREES AS IT CONTINUE ACROSS THE PLANTATION. THE TORNADO THEN STRENGTHENED TO AN EF1...WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 95-105 MPH...AS IT CROSSED CAINHOY ROAD AND STRUCK THE MOUNT ZION METHODIST CHURCH. THE CHURCH SUFFERED COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE FRONT PORCH...AND HAD A PORTION OF THE ROOF DECK UPLIFTED AND STEEPLE KNOCKED OVER. PORTIONS OF THE OUTER BRICK WALL ALSO SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. THE TORNADO CONTINUED INTO A FIELD BEHIND THE CHURCH BEFORE LIFTING. THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE TORNADO WAS 1.2 MILES WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 406 FT. && ...TWO EF2 TORNADO DAMAGE CONFIRMED IN EFFINGHAM COUNTY GEORGIA... A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN EFFINGHAM COUNTY 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD AT 934 PM AND TRAVELED SOUTHEAST ABOUT 7 MILES BEFORE LIFTING AT 943 PM ABOUT 6.5 MILES EAST-SOUTH OF SPRINGFIELD. THIS TORNADO DESTROYED THREE MOBILE HOMES, DAMAGED THREE TO FOUR DOZEN HOMES, KNOCKED DOWN 15 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION TOWERS, DESTROYED OR DAMAGED ABOUT 20 VEHICLES, DESTROYED NUMEROUS OUTBUILDINGS, SHEDS, AND BARNS. FIVE PEOPLE WERE INJURED WHEN THE MOBILE HOME THEY WERE IN WAS BLOWN OVER AND ROLLED A TIME OR TWO. ANOTHER PERSON WAS INJURED WHEN THEY DROVE A CAR INTO A TREE THAT HAD FALLEN ACROSS THE ROAD. THIS TORNADO WAS 1/4 MILE WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT WHEN IT CROSSED EBENEZER ROAD AND WAS RATED AN EF2 WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 110 TO 120 MPH. A SECOND TORNADO DEVELOPED AROUND 944 PM ABOUT 3.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF RINCON JUST NORTHWEST OF THE GEORGIA POWER MCINTOSH PLANT AND TRAVELED SOUTHEAST ABOUT 1/2 MILE THROUGH THE PLANT BEFORE LIFTING JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE PLANT. THIS TORNADO DESTROYED A WATER COOLING TOWER, DAMAGED ANOTHER WATER COOLING TOWER AND SEVERAL BUILDINGS, TOPPLED TWO HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION TOWERS, KNOCKED DOWN OR UPROOTED SEVERAL DOZEN TREES, TOSSED TRACTOR TRAILER CARGO CONTAINERS WITH EQUIPMENT INSIDE UP TO 100 YARDS. IN ADDITION...AT THE TIME OF THE SURVEY ONE OF THE TRACTOR TRAILER CARGO CONTAINERS COULD NOT BE FOUND. A STEEL HOIST/ROOF ASSEMBLY WEIGHING A COUPLE THOUSAND POUNDS USED TO LOAD AND UNLOAD HEAVY ITEMS WAS TOSSED 100 FEET. INITIAL DAMAGE ESTIMATES TO THE POWER PLANT WERE FROM 2 TO 3 MILLION DOLLARS. THIS TORNADO WAS UP TO 100 YARDS WIDE AND WAS RATED AN EF2 WITH WIND SPEEDS FROM 120 TO 130 MPH. && ...EF2 TORNADO DAMAGE CONFIRMED IN ALLENDALE COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA... A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN WESTERN ALLENDALE COUNTY ABOUT 3.5 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF MARTIN AT 712 PM AND TRAVELED EAST OR EAST-SOUTHEAST 18 MILES BEFORE LIFTING ABOUT 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF FAIRFAX AT 735 PM. THIS TORNADO UPROOTED OR SNAPPED OFF A COUPLE THOUSAND TREES, DESTROYED TWO MOBILE HOMES, TOPPLED A CELL PHONE TOWER, PRODUCED MAINLY MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO MANY DOZEN HOMES, KNOCKED DOWN NUMEROUS POWER LINES AND POWER POLES, DESTROYED OR SEVERELY DAMAGED A COUPLE DOZEN VEHICLES, DESTROYED SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS, BARNS, AND SHEDS, AND OVERTURNED AN EMPTY TRACTOR TRAILER. THIS TORNADO REACHED A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 3/4 OF A MILE WIDE ALONG ROUTE 29 BETWEEN ALLENDALE AND SEIGLING. WHEN THE TORNADO PUSHED A DOUBLEWIDE MOBILE HOME OFF THE FOUNDATION, FAMILY OF EIGHT TOOK SHELTER IN THE BATHTUB. ONE INJURY OCCURRED WHEN A PERSON DROVE A CAR INTO A TREE THAT HAD FALLEN ACROSS A ROAD. THIS TORNADO WAS RATED AN EF2 WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 115 TO 125 MPH. THERE WAS SPORADIC STRAIGHTLINE WIND DAMAGE WITH WINDS UP TO 90 MPH OCCURRING UP TO A COUPLE OF MILES SOUTH OF THE TORNADO PATH. THIS RESULTED IN DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES AND MAINLY MINOR DAMAGE TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES ESPECIALLY IN THE ALLENDALE AREA. && $$ JAQ/DB/MTE/JC