National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Click any image for a larger version.

 

Damage track map from Bluffton tornado.

 

...TORNADO CONFIRMED NEAR BLUFFTON IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SOUTH
CAROLINA...

LOCATION...2 W BLUFFTON IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA
DATE...APRIL 8 2010
ESTIMATED TIME...1111 PM EDT
MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF0
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...75 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...20 YARDS
PATH LENGTH...0.15 MILES
BEGINNING LAT/LON...32.24N / 80.90W
ENDING LAT/LON...32.24N / 80.90W
* FATALITIES...0
* INJURIES...0

* THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT(S) AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.

...SUMMARY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON SC...IN CONJUNCTION
WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...HAS CONFIRMED A
TORNADO NEAR BLUFFTON IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA ON APRIL 8
2010.

A SMALL EF0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 1111 PM TWO MILES WEST OF
BLUFFTON AND TRAVELED NORTHEAST APPROXIMATELY 0.15 MILES BEFORE
DISSIPATING. THE TORNADO SNAPPED OFF THE TOPS OF A FEW PINE
TREES...SOME LANDING ON AND DAMAGING VEHICLES...TORE OFF SOME
ALUMINUM FLASHING...KNOCKED DOWN SOME FENCES...DESTROYED A SHED
AND DAMAGED A SWING SET. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED NEAR 75 MPH
AND THE MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH WAS 20 YARDS WIDE.

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT
WEATHER.GOV/CHS.

FOR REFERENCE...THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO
THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.

$$

 


Radar/Satellite Imagery

 

KCLX Reflectivity loop.

KCLX Reflectivity Loop

 
KCLX Storm-Relative Velocity loop.

KCLX Storm-Relative Velocity Loop
KCLX 4-panel radar display and satellite image.

KCLX Reflectivity/Velocity/SRM/IR Satellite
IR Satellite loop.

IR Satellite Loop

 


Damage Pictures

Credit: David Zeoli, Beaufort County Emergency Management
 

Damage to a shed. Minor roof damage.
Fence damage. More fence damage.
More fence damage.  

 


 

Mesoscale Analysis

 

MSLP and Surface Winds map.

MSLP and Surface Winds
0-1 km Storm Relative Helicity map.

0-1 km Storm Relative Helicity