An EF-1 tornado with 90 mph winds hit Clarendon County, South Carolina, on Friday, damaging homes, snapping trees, and knocking out power.
CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Hurricane season officially began Sunday, but the winds of a different kind of storm had many South Carolina residents on edge on Friday. Two days later, many are still cleaning up.
In Clarendon County, cleanup continues after a Friday afternoon tornado that damaged homes, roads, and trees across several towns.
“The wind was blowing so hard and the trash and everything was going; it sounded like a train and I was by myself and I was scared,” said one resident, who was home alone when the storm hit.
The National Weather Service has confirmed the tornado was an EF-1, with peak winds around 90 mph. EF-1 tornadoes produce wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph. Officials said the storm was part of a broader area of damaging winds that swept across the region.
The aftermath is still visible in Turbeville and the surrounding communities, where trees snapped in half and power lines were downed. Some trees fell dangerously close to homes, leaving residents shaken but uninjured.
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado touched down along several roads, including Old River Road and Liberty Hill Road. At one point, it even crossed I-95.
James Ragland, a Clifton Road resident, said he had only been living in the area for eight months when the storm hit. He wasn’t home at the time but could see the damage immediately.
“When I pulled up, I could definitely tell it was a storm or something, and there were some devastating winds,” he said. “All of my underpinnings to the trailer house was all gone, all up under the house, so you can tell it was nasty out here.”
Another Clifton Road resident described a terrifying scene just outside her window.
“Outside was real white, it was white and I couldn’t see anything but white, and the power went out and didn’t come back until 12, 1 o’clock,” she said. “I lit some candles and go to bed because it was scary.”
With the official start of hurricane season following just two days after this storm hit, both residents said they plan to be more prepared if more storms threaten their area.
“I’m not worried about it as long as it don’t blow the house over; I can put that back,” Ragland said. “But I will definitely get from around here and go to Columbia and wait out the storm. I’m not going to take the chance here.”
Clarendon County officials are still assessing the full extent of the damage. No injuries have been reported so far.
