Weather service confirms tornado touched down in Chester during Monday storm
A tornado that packed 75 MPH winds touched down in South Carolina near Great Falls High School in Chester County around 6:30 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
The tornado was on the ground for about four-tenths of a mile near Dewitt Road between the school and Interstate 77, the weather service reported. The tornado was just 25 yards wide. The EF-0 tornado is the lowest on the scale for a tornado.
More than a dozen trees were knocked down, said Ed Darby, Chester County Emergency Management Director. No buildings were damaged and no one was hurt, Darby said.
“We went out there today (Wednesday) to look at the area with the weather service and what they found was the tornado did touch down for a very short time,” Darby said.
The weather service issued a tornado warning Monday afternoon for eastern Chester County. A tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted or is indicated by radar.
“Any time there is a tornado, we want to document it and the weather service wants it for historical data,” Darby said.
Lancaster County, to the east of the tornado site, saw downed trees Monday, said Darren Player, emergency management director. York County reported no damage Monday during storms, said Chuck Haynes, emergency management director.
The tornado was the second confirmed to have hit in the Charlotte area Monday. A twister with winds up to 100 MPH touched down in east Mecklenburg County Monday afternoon and traveled on a 10-mile northward path, The Charlotte Observer reported.
A tornado in May 2021 in western York County near Clover killed thousands of turkeys at a farm. Winds in that 2021 tornado were calculated at 110 MPH.
More rain Thursday to Friday
A second set of storms this week is expected to bring rain and possibly high winds and hail Thursday into Friday, but the weather is expected to clear for a beautiful Memorial Day holiday travel weekend, forecasters said.
The rain is expected to start Thursday afternoon and last through Friday, the weather service said in a statement.
Flash flooding from heavy downpours is possible, officials said.
Skies are expected to clear by late Friday with Saturday, Sunday and the Monday holiday clear and sunny with highs back into the 80s.
