Becoming Severe Weather Ready in the Western Carolinas and Northeast Georgia

Tornado Safety

Although strong and violent tornadoes are rare across the western Carolinas and northeast Goergia, they have occurred in the past, and they will occur again. Remember, even weak tornadoes can flip automobiles, severely damage, or even destroy manufactured homes, and uproot or snap off large trees. You should respond identically to all tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service. In most cases, meteorologists are unable to accurately predict tornado intensity. You should therefore react as if any approaching tornado is “the big one.”

In order to adequately prepare for a potential tornado, you should have a preset plan of action. If a tornado warning is issued, you and the members of your family or your employees should know exactly where to go and what to do. Even the most timely tornado warnings may only provide 10-15 minutes of lead time. This is not adequate time, nor is it the proper time to decide what you should do.

The safest place to be during a tornado is in an underground shelter, including a basement. If such a shelter is not available, seek out an interior room on the lowest level of a well-constructed home or office building away from windows and doors. This may be an interior bathroom or a closet. Your goal should be to place as many walls and floors between you and the outside as

Table 3. F3/EF3 and stronger tornadoes reported in the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia since 1950.
County(s) Affected	Rating	Date	Time (LST)
Greenville-SC, Spartanburg-SC	F3	May 10, 1952	1400
Abbeville-SC, Greenwood-SC	F4	March 31, 1973	1820
Greenville-SC, Spartanburg-SC, Cherokee-SC, Cleveland-NC	F3	May 27, 1973	1720
Laurens-SC	F3	December 13, 1973	1353
Greenwood-SC	F4	December 13, 1973	1430
Anderson-SC	F3	April 8, 1974	1533
Spartanburg-SC, Cherokee-SC, Rutherford-NC	F4	May 5, 1989	1620
Cleveland-NC, Lincoln-NC, Catawba-NC	F4	May 5, 1989	1654
Union-NC	F4	May 5, 1989	1801
Habersham-GA	F3	November 15, 1989	1801
Union-NC	F3	October 18, 1990	1500
Habersham-GA, Rabun-GA, Oconee-SC	F3	March 27, 1994	1504
York-SC, Mecklenburg-NC	F3	March 27, 1994
Caldwell-NC	F4	May 7, 1998	1649
Habersham-GA, Rabun-GA	EF3	April 27, 2011	2300
Oconee-SC	EF3	April 13, 2020	0341