South Carolina, 2020Tornado and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, September 17, 2020
September 17, 2020 · NWS CHS · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
Tropical Cyclone Sally made landfall along the northeast Gulf Coast and began to track inland into the Southeast region in the early morning hours. Scattered to numerous embedded thunderstorms developed and moved through portions of southeast South Carolina, with some producing damaging wind gusts and even a brief tornado.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Tropical Cyclone Sally made landfall along the northeast Gulf Coast and began to track inland into the Southeast region in the early morning hours. Scattered to numerous embedded thunderstorms developed and moved through portions of southeast South Carolina, with some producing damaging wind gusts and even a brief tornado.
What forecasters said that day
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 17, 3:40 AM EST, 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 17, 3:40 AM EST, 35 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 17, 3:42 AM EST, 33 minutes before
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Local storm report, Sep 17, 3:21 AM EST, 54 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Sep 17, 3:49 AM EST, 26 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Sep 17, 3:52 AM EST, 23 minutes before
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</html>Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper
- When
- September 17, 4:15 AM EST to 4:16 AM EST
- Where
- Jasper County, 0.9 mi NW of Grahamville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- 911 Call Center
- Coordinates
- 32.480, -80.980
Jasper County dispatch reported trees and power lines down in the Ridgeland area including Sisters Ferry Road at McCormack Avenue, Big Branch Road at Pinelevel Church Road, and Owens Street at 3rd Avenue.
Tornado, Dorchester
- When
- September 17, 8:13 AM EST to 8:14 AM EST
- Where
- Dorchester County, 1.52 mi N of Reevesville to 2.07 mi N of Reevesville
- Rating
- EF1
- Path length
- 0.6 mi
- Path width
- 150 yd
- Reported by
- NWS Storm Survey
- Coordinates
- 33.222, -80.633
A National Weather Service storm survey team determined that EF-1 tornado impacted an area near Reevesville in Dorchester County. The tornado began near a tree line east of St. Mark Bowman Road. The tornado tracked north across a tree farm on Cockadoo Farm Road. Damage on the farm consisted of dozens of snapped or uprooted trees and overturned hundreds of potted trees and shrubs. Minor damage was observed to siding and shingles on a few homes between Cockadoo Farm Road and Neighborhood Drive. The tornado track ended in a wooded area north of Neighborhood Drive.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Flood in Washington, September 17 to 18, 2020$250 million · 1 event
- Flood and Hail in Oregon, September 17 to 18, 2020$41,000 · 50 kt wind · 22 events
- Heavy Rain in Virginia, September 17 to 18, 202050 events
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, September 17, 2020$50,000 · 56 kt wind · 10 events
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, September 17, 2020$51,000 · EF0 · 2 events
- Tornadoes in North Carolina, September 17, 2020$35,000 · EF0 · 2 events
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Georgia, September 17, 2020EF1 · 2 events
- Tornadoes in North Carolina, September 17 to 18, 2020EF1 · 2 events
- Excessive Heat in Arizona, September 17, 202011 events
- Heavy Rain in North Carolina, September 17 to 18, 20209 events
- Excessive Heat in California, September 17 to 18, 20207 events
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, September 17, 20206 events
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 921380, 921489.