22 tornado, 3 tropical storm, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 7, 2:00 AM EST, 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 300 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004 .SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... THE GFS HAS VERIFIED BETTER AND IS CLOSER TO THE TPC TRACK SO PLAN TO USE THIS MODEL FOR THE FORECAST. THE MAIN FORECAST PROBLEMS ARE THE TORNADO AND FLOOD THREATS. THE GFS SHOWS HIGH SHEAR CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT WITH H85 WINDS NEAR 40 KNOTS. THE TROPICAL MOISTURE PLUS LOW LIFTING CONDENSATION LEVELS SUPPORT A POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES. THE THREAT MAY BE GREATEST THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE OF HEATING. THE CHS RAOB SHOWED PRECIPITABLE WATER NEAR 2.4 INCHES. TROPICAL MOISTURE AND TRAINING IN THE BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF THE HURRICANE SUPPORTS VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE FLOODING. WE HAVE ISSUED A FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE REMNANTS OF FRANCES SHOULD BE LIFTING NORTH OF THE REGION FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...BUT THE GFS SHOWS A SURFACE TROUGH LINGERING IN THE FORECAST AREA. THIS FEATURE SHOULD SUPPORT CONTINUED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE H5 TROUGH APPEARS TO LIFT OUT WITH THE FLOW BECOMING CONFLUENT SO EXPECT COVERAGE WILL DIMINISH BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF UPPER-LEVEL LIFT. PLAN TO CUT THE GUIDANCE CONSENSUS HIGHS SLIGHTLY BECAUSE OF CLOUDINESS AND RAISE THE LOWS SLIGHTLY BECAUSE OF MIXING AND THE TROPICAL MOISTURE TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. && .LONG TERM (FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... THE GFS SHOWS AN ONSHORE FLOW AND ALSO A COASTAL TROUGH DURING THE PERIOD. PLAN TO USE THE MEX POPS AND TEMPERATURES. && .AVIATION... SOUTHEAST LOW-LEVEL FLOW ADVECTING MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. GENERALLY EXPECT MVFR THROUGH THE PERIOD AS THE REMNANTS OF THE TROPICAL SYSTEM MOVE NORTHWARD. && .FIRE WEATHER TODAY SE 13 1000 WEDNESDAY SE 14 1200 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLUMBIA 81 74 84 74 / 100 100 80 50 AUGUSTA 81 74 82 74 / 100 100 80 40 SUMTER 81 74 84 73 / 100 100 80 50 ORANGEBURG 82 74 84 74 / 100 100 80 40 && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...FLOOD WATCH TODAY AND TONIGHT...LAKE WIND ADVISORY TODAY GA...FLOOD WATCH TODAY AND TONIGHT...LAKE WIND ADVISORY TODAY && 05/05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 540 AM EDT MON SEP 6 2004 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-070940- AIKEN SC-BAMBERG SC-BARNWELL SC-BURKE GA-CALHOUN SC-CHESTERFIELD SC- CLARENDON SC-COLUMBIA GA-EDGEFIELD SC-FAIRFIELD SC-KERSHAW SC- LANCASTER SC-LEE SC-LEXINGTON SC-LINCOLN GA-MCCORMICK SC-MCDUFFIE GA- NEWBERRY SC-ORANGEBURG SC-RICHLAND SC-RICHMOND GA-SALUDA SC- SUMTER SC- 540 AM EDT MON SEP 6 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... THE OUTER FRINGES OF TROPICAL STORM FRANCES ARE EXPECTED TO EFFECT THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM FOR AREAS SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA, HOWEVER THIS MAY BE EXPANDED NORTHWARD DEPENDING ON THE TRACK OF THE TROPICAL STORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... CONTINUED RAIN AND WIND ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM FRANCES IS POOSIBLE THROUGHTHE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK AS THE STORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INLAND INTO GEORGIA. A THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME, BUT MAY BE NEEDED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.
The Columbia radar (KCAE), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:20 UTC.
22 tornado, 3 tropical storm, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
NWS survey along with dept. of highways, found trees down across US601 from a small tornado.
Hwy Dept. reported trees down on SC 419.
NWS survey found 3 mobile destroyed, several others damaged along with a couple of businesses. Three people were injured. Numerous trees and powerlines down.
Ft. Jackson reported 22 homes with light to moderate damage from an F1 tornado.
An F0 took down some trees on Bluff and Blackberry roads.
An F0 took down some trees and powerlines and damaged some signs in Barnwell.
An F0 tornado took down some trees on hwys 39 and 391.
Emergency manager reported 55 homes damaged, 9 destroyed, and 3 injuries.
Sheriff reported some secondary roads beginning to flood with some closures.
Sheriff reported heavy rains and flooding of roads in southeast Columbia and outskirts with some closures.
A strong F1 tornado took down huge trees and powerlines, and also did moderate damage to several homes and a cotton gin mill.
Storm Chaser reported an F0 did minor damage to a mobile home and took down some trees and powerlines.
Intermittent touchdown of an F0 took down trees and powerlines in and around Antioch with minor damage to some mobile homes.
An F1 tornado did moderate damage to several homes and mobile homes. A turkey farm also had light damage.
Dept of highways reported an F0 took down some trees and powerlines on Sc 453.
Survey found an F0 path a half mile long which took down trees.
Shaw AFB reported many homes with light damage and a few with moderate damage as an F1 touched down between the runways and moved across the base. Many trees and powerlines were also down.
A strong F1 did moderate to severe damage to buildings on a turkey farm. Several mobile and structural homes were also damaged along the path.
An F3 tornado demolished several mobile homes and severely damaged cinder block horse stables at a horse farm. A large horse trailer was lifted up and placed on top of the stable. Several outbuildings were destroyed and numerous trees and powerlines were down.
An F1 intermittently touched down and did minor damage to several homes, businesses, and an elementary school.. Numerous trees and powerlines were down.
An F0 took down some trees along Cannon Bridge road.
An F0 took down trees along hwy 52 north of Society Hill as the tornado dissipated.
An F0 intermittently touched down and took down trees from Jenkinsville to the Greenbrier Community.
Emergency manager reported trees and powerlines down along path.
Emergency manager reported 2 mobile homes near Sumter severely damaged when a large tree fell on them.
Emergency manager reported strong winds 8NW Jackson and in Beech Island took down trees and powerlines and 2 homes had their roofs partially blown off.
An F2 destroyed 2 mobile homes and did moderate to severe damage to several others. Numerous trees and powerlines were down.
Highway Dept. reported several trees down.
Emergency manager reported a tree on a home 5SSE of Chesterfield and shingles of a home.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Carolina, 2004Warnings in South Carolina, September 2004The 2004 hurricane season
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5414654, 5414655, 5414656, 5414657, 5414658, 5414659, 5414660, 5414663, 5414661, 5414662, 5414664, 5414738, 5414665, 5414666, 5414667, 5414668, 5414725, 5414726, 5414727, 5414732, 5414728, 5414729, 5414734, 5414730, 5414735, 5414736, 5414733, 5414731, 5414737.