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KCLX Radar Data - click to enlarge/loop Reflectivity (Upper Left) / Storm-Relative Velocity (Upper Right) / Base Velocity (Lower Left) / Mesocyclone (Bottom Right)

...CHARLESTON COUNTY /WADMALAW ISLAND AND JOHNS ISLAND EF-2 TORNADO/...

ON SUNDAY MAY 11...2008...AN EF2 TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED
DOWN AT 612 PM EDT ON WADMALAW ISLAND ALONG BEARS BLUFF ROAD...WHERE
MINOR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. THE DAMAGE AT THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN
LOCATION WAS CONFINED TO SEVERAL TREES GETTING SHEARED OFF NEAR THE
BASE OR TWISTED TO THE GROUND.

THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED EAST AND CROSSED MAYBANK HIGHWAY ON
WADMALAW ISLAND AT 613 PM EDT WHERE MAJOR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. THE
MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRED ON THE 4800 BLOCK OF MAYBANK
HIGHWAY...WHERE NEARLY ALL TREES IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO WERE
TWISTED TO THE GROUND OR SHEARED OFF NEAR THE BASE. NUMEROUS HOMES
WERE DAMAGED AS THE TORNADO RIPPED THROUGH...WITH MANY SUSTAINING
ROOF AND SHINGLE DAMAGE. IN FACT...TWO HOMES HAD A SECTION OF THERE
ROOF DETACHED AND HURLED APPROXIMATELY 50 TO 100 FEET AWAY FROM THE
RESIDENCE. A DETACHED GARAGE ALSO SUSTAINED DAMAGE...WHEN THE
SUCTION FROM THE TORNADO CAUSED THE GARAGE DOOR TO GET BUCKLED
INWARD INTO THE GARAGE ITSELF...AND PORTIONS OF THE TIN ROOF WAS
RIPPED AWAY AND DISPLACED 50 TO 75 FEET FROM THE GARAGE. A
CINDERBLOCK WALL ON ANOTHER HOME SUSTAINED SEVERE DAMAGE WHEN A
LARGE SECTION OF CINDERBLOCKS WAS TORN FROM THE WALL AND HURLED
INTO THE HOME. ADDITIONALLY...A CHAIN LINK FENCE AROUND THE
RESIDENCE WAS RIPPED OFF AND DISPLACED 20 TO 30 FEET FROM THE
SUPPORTING POLES WHICH HELD THE FENCE IN PLACE. ANOTHER HOME
SUSTAINED SEVERE DAMAGE...AS THE FRONT PORCH OF THE RESIDENCE WAS
DETACHED AND TOSSED 100 TO 150 FEET AWAY. THE SAME HOME HAD THE ROOF
LIFTED 2 TO 3 INCHES FROM THE SUPPORTING WALLS...AND A LARGE WINDOW
CURTAIN WAS ACTUALLY PULLED UPWARD AND INTO THE ATTIC AS THE TORNADO
MOVED THROUGH. QUITE A BIT OF DAMAGE WAS ALSO OBSERVED IN THE LONG
CREEK PLANTATION SUBDIVISION OF MAYBANK HIGHWAY...WHERE SIGNIFICANT
TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ALONG WITH SEVERAL HOMES SUSTAINING SOME
MINOR ROOF DAMAGE.

THE TORNADO MOVED ONTO JOHNS ISLAND AT APPROXIMATELY 618 PM EDT
WHEN IT CROSSED BOHICKET ROAD. MODERATE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED AS IT
MOVED THROUGH THIS AREA OF JOHNS ISLAND. THE MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE
WAS CONFINED TO TREES BEING SHEARED OFF NEAR THE BASE OR TWISTED TO
THE GROUND. SEVERAL HOMES DID SUSTAIN SOME ROOF DAMAGE AS SHINGLES
WERE LIFTED AND DISPLACED FROM THE RESIDENCES.

MINOR DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ON RIVER ROAD WHEN THE TORNADO WEAKENED
BEFORE FINALLY LIFTING AT 626 PM EDT...JUST SOUTH OF THE CHARLESTON
EXECUTIVE AIRPORT BEFORE IT MOVED ONTO JAMES ISLAND. THE DAMAGE
ALONG RIVER ROAD WAS CONFINED PRIMARILY TO SEVERAL DOWNED TREES. A
TIN ROOF OF A SHED SUSTAINED SOME MINOR DAMAGE AS WELL...AS IT
LIFTED SLIGHTLY BUT REMAINED INTACT.

THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED AT 120 MPH. THE
TOTAL PATH LENGTH WAS 12 MILES...WITH A PATH WIDTH OF 1 MILE WHEN IT
CROSSED MAYBANK HIGHWAY AND SIX TENTHS OF A MILE ON BOHICKET ROAD.

$$

JRJ/33/SME