Tornadoes confirmed in Lexington and five other SC counties from recent severe storm
A survey of damage from a storm that swept through South Carolina this week confirmed that tornadoes touched down in Lexington and five other counties in and around the central part of the state, meteorologists confirmed.
Two tornadoes carved paths through Lexington County Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service of Columbia. An EF-2 tornado began in Aiken County and moved along a path close to Interstate 20 south of Batesburg Leesville and Gilbert. Another twister, reaching EF-1 measurements, touched down near Gaston and moved east into Calhoun County.
An EF-2 tornado is “significant” and has winds between 113 and 157 mph, the weather service said. With EF-1 “moderate” tornadoes winds are between 73 and 112 mph.
Meteorologist recorded another EF-2 tornado in Manning of Clarendon County.
The strongest tornado on Tuesday confirmed by the National Weather Service of Columbia tore through Bamberg and Orangeburg counties. The EF-3 tornado began near the town of Ulmer on the Allendale side of its border with Bamberg County.
The twister traveled through Bamberg County and into Orangeburg County, following a course southeast of U.S. Highway 301, according to the weather services.
An EF-3 tornado is “severe” and has winds of 158 to 206 mph.
An EF-1 tornado hit near Ehrhardt. Three EF-0 tornadoes with winds below 73 mph also were recorded in Bamberg and Orangeburg counties, two of them near Branchville and Bowman.
Outside of the Columbia National Weather Service’s survey area, five tornadoes damaging or destroying 55 homes were confirmed from Tuesday’s storm after a survey completed by meteorologists on Friday.
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Tornadoes confirmed in Lexington and five other SC counties from recent severe storm."