Tornadoes · United States · South Carolina · 2004

F1 tornado, Gillisonville, South Carolina, September 7, 2004

This F1 tornado ran 4.0 miles across Jasper County on September 7, 2004, touching down at 7:35 AM EDT and reaching 75 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F1
Date
September 7, 2004
Touchdown
7:35 AM EDT (11:35 UTC)
Path length
4.0 miles (6.4 km)
Path width
75 yards (69 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Jasper County
Touchdown point
32.600, -80.970
Lift-off point
32.630, -81.020
Record number
1673

What the Weather Service recorded

Hurricane Frances made land fall over the Florida Panhandle and continued to track in a generally northward direction into Georgia, before turning more to the northeast. This track placed the Charleston County Warning Area in the favorable right side of the remnants of Frances which produced numerous tornadoes and areas of straight line wind damage over southeast Georgia and south coastal South Carolina. Several Georgia counties also experienced flash flooding as there were isolated rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches over a 24 to 36 hour period. This was on top of already saturated ground from heavy rains during the month of August. The South Carolina counties experienced more nuisance type flooding as the rainfall amounts were not as high as what occurred in southeast Georgia.

A tornado knocked down trees. Many trees were snapped off and thrown in different directions.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Sep 7, 3:55 AM EDT, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 7, 3:55 AM EDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 7, 6:18 AM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
618 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-
042>045-047>051-081017-
ALLENDALE-BEAUFORT-BERKELEY-BULLOCH-CANDLER-CHARLESTON-COASTAL BRYAN-
COASTAL CHATHAM-COASTAL COLLETON-COASTAL JASPER-COASTAL LIBERTY-
COASTAL MCINTOSH-DORCHESTER-EFFINGHAM-EVANS-HAMPTON-INLAND BRYAN-
INLAND CHATHAM-INLAND COLLETON-INLAND JASPER-INLAND LIBERTY-
INLAND MCINTOSH-JENKINS-LONG-SCREVEN-TATTNALL-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLAXTON...DARIEN...HALFMOON LANDING...
HINESVILLE...LUDOWICI...METTER...MILLEN...PEMBROKE...REIDSVILLE...
SAVANNAH...SPRINGFIELD...STATESBORO...SYLVANIA...TOWNSEND...
WILMINGTON...WILMINGTON ISLAND...ALLENDALE...BEAUFORT...CHARLESTON...
EDISTO BEACH...HAMPTON...HILTON HEAD ISLAND...MONCKS CORNER...
RIDGELAND...SAINT GEORGE AND WALTERBORO
618 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 2 PM EDT...
...WIND ADVISORY SOUTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 5 PM...
...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 PM...
...HIGH SURF ADVISORY...
...HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS...
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR LAKE MOULTRIE...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA...
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE
RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
.SEVERE WEATHER...A THREAT FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES EXISTS THROUGH
THIS AFTERNOON AS RAIN BANDS FROM TROPICAL DEPRESSION FRANCES MOVE
ACROSS THE  AREA. REFER TO THE LATEST WARNINGS AND STATEMENT ISSUED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

.HEAVY RAIN/FLOODING...HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING MAY BE A PROBLEM THIS
MORNING AND AFTERNOON.  WIDESPREAD FLOODING OVERNIGHT IN SOUTHEAST
GEORGIA MAY BECOME WORSE WITH ADDITIONAL RAINS TODAY.  WHILE MOST
SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA HAVE NOT SEEN FLOODING...THE
GROUND IS SATURATED AND ADDITIONAL RAINS TODAY WILL LIKELY CAUSE
FLOODING.  A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM.

.MARINE...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE GEORGIA AND
SOUTH CAROLINA COASTS. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY ALSO IS IN EFFECT AS
LARGE WAVES OF 8 TO 12 FEET BREAK ALONG THE BEACHES. BEACH EROSION IS
ALSO POSSIBLE PARTICULARLY AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE. A GALE
WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS OF NORTH COASTAL
GEORGIA. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST SPECIAL WEATHER
STATEMENTS...SURF ZONE FORECASTS...AND COASTAL FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION.

.WINDS/LAKE WINDS...WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL
CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. A WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 5
PM. IN ADDITION...A LAKE WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
LAKE MOULTRIE FOR TODAY AS WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
.STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ON
WEDNESDAY.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY BRING HEAVY RAIN AND MAY
CAUSE ADDITIONAL FLOODING.  WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 7, 2:30 AM EDT, 5 hours 5 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 7, 4:26 AM EDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 7, 5:56 AM EDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
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Local storm report, Sep 7, 6:46 AM EDT, 49 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 7, 6:54 AM EDT, 41 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 7, 7:08 AM EDT, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
708 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

GAZ117-119-139-141-SCZ048>051-072100-
BEAUFORT-CHARLESTON-COASTAL BRYAN-COASTAL CHATHAM-COASTAL COLLETON-
COASTAL JASPER-COASTAL LIBERTY-COASTAL MCINTOSH-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DARIEN...WILMINGTON...WILMINGTON ISLAND...
BEAUFORT...CHARLESTON...EDISTO BEACH AND HILTON HEAD ISLAND
708 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004

...A HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS CONTINUES...

A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE BEACHES OF
SOUTH COASTAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON. A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS MEANS THAT WIND AND OR WAVE
CONDITIONS SUPPORT PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS. RIP CURRENTS
ARE LIFE THREATENING TO ANYONE ENTERING THE SURF.

SWELLS FROM FRANCES ALONG WITH PERSISTENT ONSHORE WINDS WILL CONTINUE
TO AFFECT THE COASTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON...ENHANCING THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS.

RIP CURRENTS ARE STRONG NARROW CHANNELS OF WATER THAT FLOW AWAY FROM
THE BEACH. IF YOU BECOME CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT...REMAIN CALM. TRY
TO SWIM PARALLEL TO SHORE. ONCE YOU ARE AWAY FROM THE FORCE OF THE
CURRENT...BEGIN TO SWIM BACK TO THE BEACH. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SWIM
DIRECTLY AGAINST A RIP CURRENT. EVEN A STRONG SWIMMER CAN BECOME
EXHAUSTED QUICKLY.

ALWAYS HEED THE ADVICE OF LIFEGUARDS. PAY ATTENTION TO FLAGS AND
SIGNS POSTED NEAR BEACH ACCESS POINTS AND LIFEGUARD STATIONS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS...TV...OR YOUR LOCAL
NEWS SOURCE FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE
INTERNET AT WCHS.CSC.NOAA.GOV.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), 00:00Z

11.6 hours before the tornado, 98 km from the path. September 7, 2004.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2004-09-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1460 joules per kilogram, CIN -3, lifted condensation level 474 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2004-09-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 33 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1460 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Surface CAPE
960 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
474 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
253 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
6.5
0-3 km lapse rate
5.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), 12:00Z

0.4 hours after it, 98 km from the path. September 7, 2004.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 2004-09-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2597 joules per kilogram, CIN 0, lifted condensation level 466 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Charleston AFB, SC at 12:00Z on 2004-09-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 0 knots.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2597 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2535 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
466 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
0 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
0 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
6.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Beaufort Mcas (NBC), 30 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2004 tornado in South CarolinaEvery tornado in South Carolina since 1950Warnings in force in South Carolina nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of September 7, 2004

53 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 73:20 AM EDTF0Calhoun, SC0.5100
September 73:30 AM EDTF0Jasper, SC0.550
September 73:55 AM EDTF0Dorchester, SC0.540
September 74:46 AM EDTF2Richland, SC2.54403$100,000
September 75:20 AM EDTF0Allendale, SC2.040
September 75:25 AM EDTF1Richland, SC1.0200$300,000
September 75:40 AM EDTF0Allendale, SC1.040
September 76:17 AM EDTF0Richland, SC0.5100
September 76:35 AM EDTF0Barnwell, SC0.5100
September 77:14 AM EDTF0Aiken, SC0.5100
September 77:28 AM EDTF2Sumter, SC4.05003$1.7 million
September 78:40 AM EDTF1Lee, SC4.0440
September 79:10 AM EDTF0Lee, SC0.5100
September 79:18 AM EDTF0Kershaw, SC3.0400
September 79:35 AM EDTF1Kershaw, SC5.0440
September 79:48 AM EDTF0Calhoun, SC0.5100
September 79:48 AM EDTF0Clarendon, SC0.5100
September 710:00 AM EDTF0Marion, FL0.575
September 710:03 AM EDTF1Sumter, SC3.0400
September 710:40 AM EDTF1Lancaster, SC2.0300
September 710:45 AM EDTF0Putnam, FL0.575
September 711:15 AM EDTF3Kershaw, SC7.08801
September 710:43 AM CDTF2York, SC to NC3.0200$10,000
September 712:00 PM EDTF0Saint Johns, FL0.575
September 712:35 PM EDTF0Darlington, SC1.350$70,000
September 712:40 PM EDTF1Chesterfield, SC8.0440
September 712:45 PM EDTF0Orangeburg, SC0.5100
September 71:10 PM EDTF0Darlington, SC0.750$10,000
September 71:35 PM EDTF0Duval, FL1.01
September 71:38 PM EDTF1Columbus, NC10.040$700,000
September 71:40 PM EDTF0Saint Johns, FL0.575$50,000
September 72:05 PM EDTF1Marlboro, SC5.0100$250,000
September 72:24 PM EDTF1Anson, NC2.075
September 72:27 PM EDTF1Marlboro, SC0.325$60,000
September 72:47 PM EDTF0Robeson, NC0.125
September 73:11 PM EDTF1Darlington, SC0.130$10,000
September 73:30 PM EDTF1Allendale, SC4.5100
September 73:50 PM EDTF0Chesterfield, SC1.0150
September 73:53 PM EDTF1Robeson, NC4.240$200,000
September 73:56 PM EDTF0Hoke, NC0.525
September 74:00 PM EDTF0Fairfield, SC16.0400
September 74:20 PM EDTF0Bamberg, SC0.5100
September 75:45 PM EDTF0Florence, SC1.030$2,000
September 76:10 PM EDTF0Robeson, NC1.640$3,000
September 77:11 PM EDTF0Dillon, SC1.330$100,000
September 77:30 PM EDTF0Anderson, SC1.250$2,000
September 77:50 PM EDTF0Duval, FL1.01
September 78:15 PM EDTF1Chester, SC0.550$100,000
September 78:23 PM EDTF2Chesterfield, SC7.04405
September 79:05 PM EDTF0Marlboro, SC0.525$10,000
September 79:05 PM EDTF0Allendale, SC0.540
September 79:20 PM EDTF0Allendale, SC1.050
September 712:00 AM EDTF1Union, SC4.0225$50,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.