Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, March 23, 1993

Strong to severe thunderstorms developed in a rapidly destabilizing airmass over northeast Georgia and upstate South Carolina. This severe weather episode was confined to a very small area. Three weak tornados were the first severe weather in the episode. The first tornado developed as the parent thunderstorm grew into a significant storm. This tornado spun a car around in the highway then lifted. The same parent storm produced the longest lived tornado of the day. The storm initially touched down at 1750 EST in the South Cove area of Lake Keowee north of Seneca where it tossed a large boat onto land and damaged several boathouses. The tornado was clearly visible as a small but classic funnel on the ground and crossing the lake. The tornado skipped along the ground intermittently for about 5 miles and was last spotted at the community of Keowee near Clemson. Most damage was downed trees and power lines. The third tornado in the Upstate came from a severe thunderstorm which also produced severe weather in Georgia. This tornado was first viewed as a wall cloud and funnel by a trained spotter. He was not initially able to determine that the storm completely reached the ground (view hindered by trees) but later information revealed that a mobile home was moved off its foundation, and trees were downed, in the specific area where he watched the storm dip down briefly. The storm eventually developed a long-lived twin funnel configuration which was viewed by a number of people as it crossed the southern part of the city of Anderson. Localized heavy rainfall caused several streams to overflow in Pickens County. A number of roads and bridges were under water for a period of time. The Olenoy River perhaps was the largest stream in flood. Lightning struck a television transmitter site causing severe damage and knocking the station off the air for almost 6 hours.