Tornado in South Carolina, February 21, 1997

Short line segment convection blasted east northeast out of Georgia into and across the Upstate during the late afternoon causing numerous reports of wind damage and a few tornadoes. Thunder was heard in only a few cases in the storms which moved between 60 and 70 mph across the region. People spotted a weak tornado southeast of Westminster where some damage occurred, but by far the most damage in Oconee county occurred between Westminster and Walhalla where downburst winds from a previously tornadic thunderstorm hit the area. Numerous trees were downed across roads, and 46 structures were damaged - some directly by the wind and others by falling trees. A small tornado occurred near Honea Path where trees, lines, and some structures and a mobile home were damaged. The strongest tornado in this area occurred south of Spartanburg, 2 miles north of Roebuck where a weak tornado became progressively stronger as it moved along terrain with increasing elevation. Where the terrain suddenly dropped off, the tornado damage ended. Several newly constructed homes were severely damaged or destroyed in the low-end F2 tornado. This was nearly doubled by the component of forward motion (55 knots). This same line segment later caused a tornado in York county which moved into the Gastonia, NC area. Most of the damage reports above were downed trees and power lines. North of Union, a 150 gallon tank was blown around. Seven miles south of Gaffney, a mobile home was blown off its foundation. In Pickens county, the town of Central was especially hard hit with some trees falling on homes.