Four tornados touched down in Colleton County Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
The first formed about 6.39 a.m. just west of Highway 21 in southwest Colleton County in Islandton and traveled about 1.5 miles northeast near Hendersonville before dissipating. The tornado snapped of a couple dozen pine trees and broke off some tree branches along the path. Estimated wind speed was 90 mph with a 50-yard path traveling 1.43 miles.
The second tornado in Walterboro formed at 6:46 a.m. along Highway 63 west of Interstate 95 and traveled northeast a little over three miles before dissipating in or near the Ashepoo River/Jones Swamp area just west of Interstate 95. The tornado produced extensive tree damage in the vicinity of Beach Road.
The tornado overturned a tractor-trailer near mile marker 55 on Interstate 95. Hundreds of trees were snapped off or uprooted along the path. Wind speed was estimated at 105 mph with a 100-yard path traveling 3.16 miles.
The third and most destructive tornado formed near Highway 63 about a mile east of the west Walterboro tornado about 6:47 a.m. Wind speed was 110 mph with a path 500 yards wide traveling 8.1 miles.
This tornado grew in size as it tracked through Walterboro and then traveled northeastward through the Lowcountry Regional Airport, then further northeast with a preliminary length of about eight miles. Further investigation needs to be done to determine if the path continued farther to the northeast and if so how far, according to the NWS.
This tornado produced extensive tree damage along the path across northwestern portions of Walterboro with many hundreds of trees snapped off or uprooted. Trees falling on houses or the wind associated with the tornado produced mainly minor damage to hundreds of residences and some businesses.
Inflow winds into the tornado produced significant tree and some structural damage across the central and southeastern portions of Walterboro. In this area, a large pine tree fell through a section of a home killing a person and injuring another.
At the Lowcountry Regional Airport, winds associated with the tornado or winds flowing into the tornado damaged or destroyed most hangers and damaged or destroyed nearly two dozen aircraft.
The Edisto Beach tornado likely started as a waterspout off the coast and then moved inland across Edisto Beach. The tornado ripped portions or large sections of roofs off of six homes. The tornado was rated EF2 with wind speeds of 125 mph, traveling 1.16 miles in a 140-yard path.
The home most impacted by the storm was on the beach in the 3300 block of Palmetto Boulevard where glass doors and windows were broken in and large sections of the roof were removed. The wall facing the road of the home was pushed towards the road.
EF Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
EF0: Weak, 65 to 85 mph
EF1: Weak, 86 to 110 mph
EF2: Strong, 111 to 135 mph
EF3: Strong, 136 to 165 mph
EF4: Violent, 166 to 200 mph
EF5: Violent, over 200 mph
