2020 Hampton County tornado

During the early morning hours of April 13, 2020, an unusually violent and long-tracked tornado that was part of a significant outbreak tracked ~24 miles (38.6 km) throughout Hampton County, South Carolina, killing five people, injuring 60 others, and causing damage to numerous residences, with at least 37 being completely destroyed. Originally given a rating of EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the tornado was later upgraded to an EF4 after a two story house was found to have been leveled by estimated windspeeds of 175 mph (282 km/h). It was the first F4/EF4+ tornado to ever occur in the Lowcountry since reliable records began in 1950, and the first F4/EF4+ tornado to take place in the entire state of South Carolina since 1995.

In the early morning of April 13, 2020, a squall line of thunderstorms traversed over southeast South Carolina ahead of a cold front. Conditions ahead of the storms were unusually unstable for the time of day and year, as moisture from the unusually warm Gulf of Mexico was pushing dewpoints into the upper 60s to 70 °F. These dew points along with strong vertical wind shear formed an unstable atmosphere that supported the development of organized thunderstorms and potentially supercells. As the squall line continued to travel into this favorable environment, several supercell thunderstorms intensified significantly as they separated from the main line of storms. These newly isolated supercells began to produce strong winds and significant tornadoes, the strongest of which being the Hampton County tornado.^[2][3]

The tornado first touched down ~3 miles west-northwest of Scotia, South Carolina at 6:10 a.m. EDT. It began to snap trees at EF1 strength with winds around 107 mph (172 km/h), crossed Old Orangeburg Road, and struck the Federal Correctional Institution of Estill, causing extensive damage to the facility.^[4] It continued moving northeast, crossing Highway 321 near the intersection with Steep Bottom Road.^[2]

Once it crossed the highway, the tornado began to widen and gain substantional strength, damaging and destroying numerous residences, mostly mobile homes, along Sprayfield Road with EF2 to EF3 strength. The worst of this damage occurred south of Estill, South Carolina to Nixville, South Carolina, where at least six residences were completely destroyed. A house along Lena Expressway was destroyed by EF3 strength winds of 152 mph (244 km/h), with most of the walls collapsing.^[5] Several automobiles were found to be lofted and rolled approximately 50 to 75 yards (46–69 meters) from their original positions. Around this time, the tornado reached its maximum width of 0.75 mile (1.2 km), inflicting damage on thousands of trees and numerous power lines, and destroying a cell tower.^[6][2]

The tornado continued northeast before completely destroying a mobile home near the intersection of Highway 601 and Highway 3, claiming the lives of two people. The tornado inflicted heavy damage upon multiple homes near the intersection of Brandy Lane and Turner Expressway, including leveling a mobile home where it killed another three people. The tornado then reached peak intensity near Lento Road, destroying a well-constructed, two-story home and sweeping the slab clean, with debris being scattered throughout the yard. This damage was extensively reviewed and rated EF4 with estimated windspeeds of 175 mph (282 km/h) due to nearly complete destruction of a well-built home.^[2]

A house across the street sustained high-end EF3 damage inflicted by estimated wind speeds of 148 mph (238 km/h), with substantial roof and wall damage being present. After reaching peak intensity, the tornado began to weaken while continuing to track northeastward. It crossed Highway 278 and Highway 68 while inflicting minor damage on trees before dissipating at 6:37 a.m. EDT just past the intersection of Archie Road and Old Salkehatchie Highway, a mile from the Hampton/Colleton County Line. The damage patterns left behind indicated that the tornado might have had multiple vortices.^[2][5]

Following the tornado, it was found that at least 23 mobile homes and 14 brick homes were completely destroyed. This tornado was the first F4/EF4+ on record to strike the Lowcountry since 1950, and the first F4/EF4+ in the entire state of South Carolina since the Marion County tornado on November 7, 1995.^[7] Thousands of trees were uprooted or damaged, and around 60 power poles were snapped and destroyed, leading to thousands of people being left without electricity. An estimated 250 people were directly affected by the tornado.^[8][2]

The damage sustained at the Federal Correctional Institution of Estill was so severe that the prisoners were relocated to a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania, though no injuries at this location were reported.^[4] Five people were killed and 60 more were injured by the tornado, with several individuals sustaining injuries after being thrown from their mobile homes. Several automobiles were lofted and rolled by the tornado. Various roads had to be cleared of debris before first responders could reach those who were affected.^[9][8][2]A cell tower was found to be partially collapsed from the tornado.^[3] A bank note written in 1965 was carried by the tornado and landed 90 miles away on the front porch of a home in Cross, South Carolina.^[10]

South Carolina governor Henry McMaster made an emergency disaster declaration for the areas affected by the tornado.^[11] The American Red Cross opened shelters in the form of apartments and hotel rooms for those who lost their homes in the storm, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restricting standard shelters. All volunteers and emergency service workers were required to wear face masks and maintain social distancing.^[12] Many facilities such as Nixville Baptist Church, The Hampton County Recreation Center, and The Bull Durham Building served as distribution points for donated goods to the people affected by the tornado.^[13] The total cost of the damage inflicted by the tornado is estimated to be over $1 million USD.^[8]

Citizens of Hampton County, along with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, formed the Hampton County Assistance Fund, which aimed to meet a goal of $500,000 USD through donations and distribute the resources to those impacted by the tornado. By August 2020, the fund reportedly exceeded the halfway mark in reaching the goal.^[14][15]

Five people were killed during the tornado, and 60 others sustained injuries. All fatalities from the tornado occured in mobile homes. Two of the deaths occurred in Estill, South Carolina, in a single mobile home. The other three deaths occurred in another mobile home in Nixville, South Carolina.^[2][16]

• Tornadoes of 2020
• List of F4, EF4, and IF4 tornadoes
• List of F4, EF4, and IF4 tornadoes (2020–present)
• 2020 Easter tornado outbreak
• 2020 Bassfield–Soso tornado, the highest-rated tornado of the 2020 Easter tornado outbreak.