Tornado Outbreak - May 11, 2008

Charleston, SC (KCLX) Radar - click to enlarge/loop

Summary

Five tornadoes struck Southeast Georgia and Southeast South Carolina on May 11, 2008. The strongest tornado, a violent EF-4, caused significant damage in McIntosh County, GA. This was only the second EF-4 tornado to ever hit in the NWS Charleston, SC Forecast Area, and only the 9th EF-4 tornado to strike anywhere in the State of Georgia since 1950. The only other EF-4 tornado to hit in the Charleston, SC Forecast Area was in Bulloch County, GA on April 25, 1929. That tornado killed 40 people and injured 300.

In addition to the McIntosh County EF-4 tornado, there was one EF-3 tornado in Tattnall County, GA (near Cobbtown), an EF-2 tornado in Charleston County, SC (near Wadmalaw Island and Johns Island), an EF-1 tornado in Screven County, GA (near Emmalane) and another in Bulloch County, GA (near Nevils and Denmark). Significant straight line wind damage, as well as severe hail, also occurred in many other places in Southeast Georgia and Southeast South Carolina from May 10-11, 2008. Overall, 12 people were injured during this severe weather outbreak.

Satellite Imagery

Damage Map

Jenkins County, GA

EF-1 Tornado and Straight-line Winds

...JENKINS COUNTY /EMMALANE EF-1 TORNADO AND STRAIGHT LINE WIND
DAMAGE/...

OBSERVED DAMAGE IN AND AROUND THE COMMUNITY OF EMMALANE...WHICH IS
APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MILLEN...INDICATED THAT AN EF-1
TORNADO OCCURRED. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AROUND 733 AM EDT
SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF US 25 AND OLD SAVANNAH ROAD. THE
TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE AND HAD A
WIDTH OF APPROXIMATELY 1200 YARDS. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT
95 MPH.

ALONG THE TORNADO PATH...DAMAGE OCCURRED TO A MOBILE HOME WHERE THE
ROOF WAS UPLIFTED AND THE STRUCTURE SHIFTED FROM ITS FOUNDATION.
THERE WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO NEARBY SHEDS AND TREES.

SIGNIFICANT AND WIDESPREAD STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED
ALONG A 16 MILE PATH STARTING APPROXIMATELY 2.5 MILES WEST OF
THRIFT...CONTINUING TO AROUND 4.5 MILES EAST OF MILLEN. ALONG THIS
PATH...MAXIMUM WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 110 MPH. OVERALL...ABOUT 50
TO 60 HOMES WERE DAMAGED WITH 10 TO 12 OF THESE HOMES DESTROYED
RESULTING IN 1 INJURY. DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED TO THE ROSE MARY CHURCH
AND THE OAK HILL CHURCH. MOST OF THE STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE
APPEARS TO HAVE OCCURRED FROM THE REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT OF THE
PASSING SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM.

Tattnall County, GA

EF-3 Tornado

...TATTNALL COUNTY /COBBTOWN EF-3 TORNADO/...

OBSERVED DAMAGE IN AND AROUND THE COMMUNITY OF COBBTOWN IN NORTHERN
TATTNALL COUNTY GEORGIA INDICATED THAT AN EF-3 TORNADO OCCURRED. THE
TORNADO INITIALLY MOVED INTO NORTHWEST TATTNALL COUNTY FROM NEAR THE
BORDER WITH CANDLER...EMANUEL...AND TOOMBS COUNTIES. THIS WAS A
CONTINUATION OF A TORNADO IN FAR NORTHEASTERN TOOMBS COUNTY. THE
FIRST INDICATIONS OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE...CONSISTENT WITH AN EF-1
TORNADO...OCCURRED ALONG REPRESENTATIVE KENNEDY ROAD WHERE A MOBILE
HOME WAS PARTIALLY DESTROYED. A WELL DEFINED PATH OF DEBRIS WAS
NOTED TRAILING SOUTHEAST OF THIS AREA ACROSS OPEN FARM FIELDS.
SEVERAL HOMES WERE ALSO SEVERELY DAMAGED WITH ROOFS BLOWN OFF ALONG
HENRY MOXLEY ROAD ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTHEAST OF REPRESENTATIVE KENNEDY
ROAD.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AS IT TURNED EAST TOWARD
COBBTOWN AND PEAKED AROUND 743 AM AS IT CROSSED NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF GEORGIA STATE HIGHWAYS 121 AND 57. HERE THE TORNADO
COMPLETELY LEVELED A BRICK CONVENIENCE STORE AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE
DAMAGE TO TREE AND NEARBY STRUCTURES. TWO PEOPLE WORKING IN THE
STORE AT THE TIME OF THE TORNADO WERE INJURED BUT NOT KILLED. THE
DAMAGE PATTERN IN THIS AREA WAS CONSISTENT WITH AN EF-3 TORNADO WITH
WINDS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 140 AND 150 MPH. ALSO IN THIS SAME GENERAL
AREA...BUT JUST SOUTH OF THE TORNADO/S TRACK...THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF
A HIGH DOWNBURST. THESE WINDS...ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100 MPH...
WERE LIKELY CAUSED BY THE REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT OF THE PASSING
SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO MOVE EAST ACROSS OPEN FARM FIELDS WHERE
EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE AND MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH AN
EF-1 AND EF-0 TORNADO WAS NOTED. THE TORNADO DISSIPATED ABOUT 1.5
MILES EAST OF COBBTOWN...HOWEVER OCCASIONAL BOUTS OF NON-TORNADIC
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WERE OBSERVED ACROSS PORTIONS NORTHEAST TATTNALL
COUNTY AND NORTHERN EVANS COUNTY NEAR UNDINE.

TATTNALL PORTION OF PATH

STRENGTH...... EF-3   *** 2 INJURED ***
PEAK WINDS.... 140-150 MPH
MAX WIDTH..... 200 YARDS
TRACK LENGTH.. 4.5 MILES STARTING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE
TOOMBS...EMANUEL...AND CANDLER COUNTY LINES.

NOTE...THE TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF THIS TORNADO STARTING IN
NORTHEASTERN TOOMBS COUNTY IS 7 MILES.

KCLX Radar - click to enlarge/loop

Tornado Track

Screven County, GA

Straight-line Winds

...SCREVEN COUNTY /STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE/...

STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED 3 MILES NORTH OF
SYLVANIA...BEGINNING NEAR BASCOM ROAD...AND CONTINUING EAST ACROSS
BURTONS FERRY HIGHWAY...ENDING EAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTE 24
AND FRIENDSHIP ROAD. THE TOTAL LENGTH OF STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE
WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES...WITH A WIDTH OF 1000 YARDS. MAXIMUM
WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 110 MPH. DAMAGE OCCURRED TO NEARLY 20
HOMES...AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE GREENS OF THE LOCAL
COUNTRY CLUB. TREE TRUNKS WERE SNAPPED...AND TREES WERE UPROOTED ALL
ALONG THE PATH.


KCLX Radar - click to enlarge/loop

Bulloch County, GA

EF-1 Tornado

...BULLOCH COUNTY /NEVILS-DENMARK EF-1 TORNADO/...

OBSERVED DAMAGE AROUND THE NEVILLE AND DENMARK COMMUNITIES IN
SOUTHERN BULLOCH COUNTY GEORGIA INDICATED AN EF-1 TORNADO OCCURRED.
THIS TORNADO WAS PRODUCED BY THE SAME SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM WHICH
PRODUCED THE TORNADO IN COBBTOWN. THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED
AROUND 810 AM ALONG NESMITH PROCTOR ROAD WHERE A CLUSTER OF TREES
WERE SNAPPED AND BLOWN DOWN. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED RAPIDLY EAST AND
CROSSED INTERSTATE 16 NEAR MILE MARKER 125 WHERE EXTENSIVE TREE
DAMAGE OCCURRED. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED ACROSS HIGHWAY 67 NEAR OLD
ROCKER ROAD WHERE IT PARTIALLY DESTROYED THE ROOF OF A MOBILE HOME
AND DAMAGED NEARBY TREES. FINALLY THE TORNADO CROSSED OLD HAPPY ROAD
AND MOVED THROUGH THE OLD HAPPY FARM WHERE IT COMPLETELY DESTROYED A
MOBILE HOME...SEVERAL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND LARGE STORAGE SHED
BEFORE DISSIPATING.

STRENGTH...... EF-1
PEAK WINDS.... 105-110 MPH
MAX WIDTH..... 400 YARDS
TRACK LENGTH.. 2.25 MILES

McIntosh County, GA

EF-4 Tornado

...MCINTOSH COUNTY GEORGIA TORNADO RATED A VIOLENT EF-4...

A SURVEY TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN CHARLESTON
SOUTH CAROLINA ALONG WITH OTHER DAMAGE SURVEY EXPERTS FROM ACROSS
THE COUNTRY HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE TORNADO THAT STRUCK MCINTOSH
COUNTY GEORGIA SUNDAY MORNING MAY 11TH WAS A VIOLENT EF-4. THE
TORNADO BEGINNING AND END TIMES ARE BASED ON RADAR DATA COMBINED
WITH CREDIBLE GROUND TRUTH REPORTS.

A TORNADO FORMED AT 952 AM...ABOUT 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF DARIEN AND
TRACKED EAST ABOUT 11 MILES BEFORE DISSIPATING AT 1007 AM AS A WATER
SPOUT IN DOBOY SOUND.

THE TORNADO FORMED IN A WOODED AREA ABOUT 1/2 MILE WEST OF ROUTE 251
WHERE NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF. THE TORNADO STRENGTHENED
RAPIDLY AS IT APPROACHED AND MOVED ACROSS ROUTE 251.

THE TORNADO STRUCK A MARINE SALES AND SERVICES BUSINESS LOCATED ON
THE EAST SIDE OF ROUTE 251. THE BOLTS FOR ALL BUT ONE OF THE
ANCHORED METAL SUPPORT BEAMS FOR THE METAL BUILDING WERE SNAPPED OFF
JUST ABOVE THE CONCRETE SLAB. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ONE METAL
SUPPORT BEAM THAT WAS BENT TO THE GROUND...THE SLAB WAS WIPED CLEAN.
ABOUT 50 BOATS WERE TOSSED AROUND AND DESTROYED...WITH ONE 18 FOOT
4000 POUND BOAT CARRIED ABOUT 650 YARDS INTO SOME TREES. A 32 FOOT
8000 POUND BOAT WAS CARRIED ABOUT 130 YARDS ONTO THE TOP OF THE
GATEWAY BEHAVIORAL SERVICES BUILDING. A SECOND SMALLER BOAT WAS ALSO
CARRIED ONTO THE BUILDING. A VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING
LOT WAS CARRIED IN THE AIR 150 YARDS. ONE 125 HP BOAT MOTOR WEIGHING
300 TO 350 POUNDS WAS CARRIED 250 YARDS AND DEPOSITED INTO THE ROOF
OF A BUILDING. IN ADDITION...ONE OF THE BOATS HAS YET TO BE
ACCOUNTED FOR. SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES NEAR THIS BUSINESS WERE ROLLED
OR TOSSED AND SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. NO ONE WAS IN THE
BUILDING AT THE TIME THE TORNADO STRUCK AND DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING
AND ALL THE BOATS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 5 MILLION DOLLARS.

ABOUT 100 YARDS TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF THE MARINE SALES AND
SERVICES BUILDING...THE MCINTOSH EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES BUILDING
WAS DESTROYED BY THE TORNADO WITH DAMAGE TO THREE AMBULANCES AND ONE
FIRE TRUCK. MANY OF THE METAL SUPPORT BEAMS FROM THIS METAL BUILDING
WERE TORN FROM THE CONCRETE SLAB OR SNAPPED OFF. THIS BUILDING WAS
RATED FOR 120 MPH WINDS. NO ONE WAS IN THIS BUILDING AT THE TIME OF
THE TORNADO BECAUSE THEY WERE OUT ON A NON WEATHER RELATED CALL.

THE GATEWAY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SERVICES BUILDING WAS TOTALLY
DESTROYED. THIS METAL FRAMED BUILDING WITH BRICK EXTERIOR WAS
LOCATED ABOUT 100 YARDS EAST-NORTH EAST OF THE MCINTOSH EMERGENCY
MEDICAL SERVICES BUILDING AND 130 YARDS EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE MARINE
SALES AND SERVICES BUILDING. THE ROOF OF THE GATEWAY BUILDING
COLLAPSED ALONG WITH MANY OF THE OUTER BRICK WALLS. MANY OF THE
LARGE LOAD BEARING METAL BEAMS WERE BENT OR KNOCKED DOWN. PORTIONS
OF THE METAL ROOF WERE CARRIED A MILE AWAY ONTO INTERSTATE 95. SOME
OF THE ROOFING MATERIAL WAS FOUND 11 MILES AWAY ON SAPELO ISLAND. OF
THE 12 PEOPLE THAT WERE IN THE BUILDING WHEN THE TORNADO HIT...9
WERE INJURED SUSTAINING BROKEN BONES AND/OR LACERATIONS. SIX
VEHICLES AROUND THIS BUILDING WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED AND A METAL
LIGHT POLE AND SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED OFF IN THIS AREA.

TWO OTHER BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA SUFFERED DAMAGE...INCLUDING DAMAGE
TO SATELLITE DISHES AND TWO OVERTURNED TRACTOR TRAILERS. DAMAGE TO
THE MARINE SALES AND SERVICES BUSINESS AND THE GATEWAY BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH AND SERVICES BUILDING INDICATE THAT EF-4 DAMAGE OCCURRED HERE
WITH WINDS LIKELY IN THE 170 TO 180 MPH RANGE.

AFTER LEAVING THIS AREA THE TORNADO TRAVELED EAST AND WEAKENED. THE
TORNADO REACHED ITS MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 700 YARDS AS IT CROSSED
INTERSTATE 95...AND THEN DECREASED IN SIZE AND WAS MAINLY FROM 200
TO 500 YARDS WIDE DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE PATH. THE TORNADO
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED FOUR BILLBOARDS ALONG INTERSTATE 95...PRODUCED
MAINLY MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO SEVERAL DOZEN HOMES MAINLY IN THE
RIDGEVILLE AREA...SNAPPED OFF OR UPROOTED THOUSANDS OF TREES...SOME
OF THEM FALLING ON HOMES OR VEHICLES AND DAMAGED OR DESTROYED
NUMEROUS OUTBUILDINGS.

A RESIDENT OF RIDGEVILLE...WHOSE HOME SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE IN THE
TORNADO...TOOK SHELTER IN A CLOSET AFTER SEEING A NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT ON THE TELEVISION MENTIONING THAT
RIDGEVILLE WAS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO.

THE TORNADO DAMAGED THE BLUE-N-HALL MARINA AND FISHING DOCK. IN THIS
AREA...A LARGE BOAT HOIST ALONG WITH 18 BOATS AND SEVERAL BOAT
TRAILERS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. SEVERAL POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED
OFF AND SEVERAL VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED. NUMEROUS TREES WERE ALSO
SNAPPED OFF ON HIRD ISLAND. THE TORNADO LIKELY DISSIPATED OVER DOBOY
SOUND AS A WATERSPOUT. BESIDES PORTIONS OF THE GATEWAY ROOF...LOTS
OF OTHER DEBRIS INCLUDING SIGNS WERE DEPOSITED ON SAPELO ISLAND.

STRENGTH...... EF-4
PEAK WINDS.... 170-180 MPH
MAX WIDTH..... 700 YARDS
TRACK LENGTH.. 11 MILES

KCLX Radar - click to enlarge/loop

Charleston County, SC

EF-2 Tornado

...CHARLESTON COUNTY /WADMALAW ISLAND AND JOHNS ISLAND EF-2 TORNADO/...

ON SUNDAY MAY 11...2008...AN EF2 TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED
DOWN AT 612 PM EDT ON WADMALAW ISLAND ALONG BEARS BLUFF ROAD...WHERE
MINOR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. THE DAMAGE AT THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN
LOCATION WAS CONFINED TO SEVERAL TREES GETTING SHEARED OFF NEAR THE
BASE OR TWISTED TO THE GROUND.

THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED EAST AND CROSSED MAYBANK HIGHWAY ON
WADMALAW ISLAND AT 613 PM EDT WHERE MAJOR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. THE
MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED ON THE 4800 BLOCK OF MAYBANK
HIGHWAY...WHERE NEARLY ALL TREES IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO WERE
TWISTED TO THE GROUND OR SHEARED OFF NEAR THE BASE. NUMEROUS HOMES
WERE DAMAGED AS THE TORNADO RIPPED THROUGH...WITH MANY SUSTAINING
ROOF AND SHINGLE DAMAGE. IN FACT...TWO HOMES HAD A SECTION OF THERE
ROOF DETACHED AND HURLED APPROXIMATELY 50 TO 100 FEET AWAY FROM THE
RESIDENCE. A DETACHED GARAGE ALSO SUSTAINED DAMAGE...WHEN THE
SUCTION FROM THE TORNADO CAUSED THE GARAGE DOOR TO GET BUCKLED
INWARD INTO THE GARAGE ITSELF...AND PORTIONS OF THE TIN ROOF WAS
RIPPED AWAY AND DISPLACED 50 TO 75 FEET FROM THE GARAGE. A
CINDERBLOCK WALL ON ANOTHER HOME SUSTAINED SEVERE DAMAGE WHEN A
LARGE SECTION OF CINDERBLOCKS WAS TORN FROM THE WALL AND HURLED
INTO THE HOME. ADDITIONALLY...A CHAIN LINK FENCE AROUND THE
RESIDENCE WAS RIPPED OFF AND DISPLACED 20 TO 30 FEET FROM THE
SUPPORTING POLES WHICH HELD THE FENCE IN PLACE. ANOTHER HOME
SUSTAINED SEVERE DAMAGE...AS THE FRONT PORCH OF THE RESIDENCE WAS
DETACHED AND TOSSED 100 TO 150 FEET AWAY. THE SAME HOME HAD THE ROOF
LIFTED 2 TO 3 INCHES FROM THE SUPPORTING WALLS...AND A LARGE WINDOW
CURTAIN WAS ACTUALLY PULLED UPWARD AND INTO THE ATTIC AS THE TORNADO
MOVED THROUGH. QUITE A BIT OF DAMAGE WAS ALSO OBSERVED IN THE LONG
CREEK PLANTATION SUBDIVISION OF MAYBANK HIGHWAY...WHERE SIGNIFICANT
TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ALONG WITH SEVERAL HOMES SUSTAINING SOME
MINOR ROOF DAMAGE.

THE TORNADO MOVED ONTO JOHNS ISLAND AT APPROXIMATELY 618 PM EDT
WHEN IT CROSSED BOHICKET ROAD. MODERATE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AS IT
MOVED THROUGH THIS AREA OF JOHNS ISLAND. THE MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE
WAS CONFINED TO TREES BEING SHEARED OFF NEAR THE BASE OR TWISTED TO
THE GROUND. SEVERAL HOMES DID SUSTAIN SOME ROOF DAMAGE AS SHINGLES
WERE LIFTED AND DISPLACED FROM THE RESIDENCES.

MINOR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ON RIVER ROAD WHEN THE TORNADO WEAKENED
BEFORE FINALLY LIFTING AT 626 PM EDT...JUST SOUTH OF THE CHARLESTON
EXECUTIVE AIRPORT BEFORE IT MOVED ONTO JAMES ISLAND. THE DAMAGE
ALONG RIVER ROAD WAS CONFINED PRIMARILY TO SEVERAL DOWNED TREES. A
TIN ROOF OF A SHED SUSTAINED SOME MINOR DAMAGE AS WELL...AS IT
LIFTED SLIGHTLY BUT REMAINED INTACT.

THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED AT 120 MPH. THE
TOTAL PATH LENGTH WAS 12 MILES...WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 1 MILE WHEN IT
CROSSED MAYBANK HIGHWAY AND SIX TENTHS OF A MILE ON BOHICKET ROAD.

KCLX Radar - click to enlarge/loop

Event Summary Team: Doug Berry, Mike Emlaw, John Quagliariello, Steven Taylor, Frank Alsheimer, Jon Jelsema, Wendy Sellers