COLUMBIA, S.C. — The National Weather Service in Columbia confirmed a brief tornado touched down in northeast Richland County on Saturday afternoon.
The EF-1 tornado was on the ground for about two minutes, according to the weather service. It traveled less than a mile. The storm had maximum wind speeds of 90 mph and a width of about 90 yards. No injuries were reported with this tornado.
The tornado touched down near Kelly Mill Road. It moved towards the northwest near North Jay Drive; it dissipated just before Cherokee Blvd. The tornado was on the ground from about 3:48 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
This was the second weekend tornado that was verified. An EF-1 tornado that affected portions of Saluda County was the other tornado. No injuries were reported with that storm either.
A tornado warning was issued for parts of Newberry and Fairfield counties on Saturday night. There was some isolated wind damage, but there was no evidence of a tornado with that warning.
Oftentimes, there will be multiple watches and warnings that are issued during an active weather day, and there is a big difference between the two.
While a watch gives you a heads up that bad weather may occur, a warning is when the bad weather is happening or near your doorstep.
Having multiple sources to get severe weather alerts is crucial to keeping yourself and your family safe during bad weather events.
The News 19 app is also a great way to stay up-to-date and receive weather notifications. Every time the National Weather Service issues a watch or a warning for bad weather, the app will send a notification to your phone letting you know what’s coming your way.