The three tornadoes spawned by Tropical Depression Sally last week didn’t last long and didn’t cover a lot of ground, according to National Weather Service storm data.
The National Weather Service data also shows the EF-0 tornadoes didn’t cause much damage, except to trees.
The first tornado started at 9:49 a.m. last Thursday near Interstate 95, about five miles southwest of Vance in Orangeburg County.
The tornado traveled only .2 miles and was 25 yards wide. Its winds reached 75 mph.
The tornado broke large limbs off of trees on Highway 15 near the intersection of Onyx Way and Po Chance Drive.
The second tornado started at 12:06 p.m. about eight miles northwest of Elloree in Calhoun County. It traveled about a mile, ending eight miles southwest of Pinewood in Calhoun County.
The storm was 25 yards wide and had a maximum wind speed of 75 mph.
The tornado broke large branches off of trees on Low Falls Road. A large tree was uprooted on Shirer Lane.
The final tornado to hit The T&D Region started at 12:45 p.m. about three miles east of St. Matthews in Calhoun County. It traveled about a third of a mile, ending four miles east of St. Matthews.
The storm’s estimated maximum wind speed was 75 mph. It was 25 yards wide.
The tornado uprooted several hardwood trees and snapped large tree limbs in the vicinity of Longstreet Road and Darby Road.
Sally spawned a total of seven tornadoes throughout the state. Two were in Clarendon County and two were in Sumter County.
Weather officials say there may have been another tornado in the far southern portion of Sumter County that possibly moved into Richland County along the Congaree River. The area, however, cannot be surveyed on the ground.
The National Weather Service is waiting to see if the S.C. Forestry Commission can fly into the area and look for damage.
by Gene Zaleski (2020, Sep 23) The Times and Democrat
