ALLENDALE COUNTY, South Carolina — The National Weather Service has confirmed at least three tornadoes from Tuesday's weather outbreak, but that number will climb higher, and doesn't include the massive tornado that struck in Allendale County.
The weather service says survey teams verified Wednesday the following tornadoes:
Clarendon County - EF2 tornado
Lexington/Calhoun Counties - EF1 tornado
Aiken/Lexington Counties - EF2 tornado
"EF" refers to Enhanced Fujita, which is the scale that measures the intensity of tornadoes. An EF0 is the weakest on the scale, while an EF5 is the highest.
In South Carolina, tornadoes of EF3 or greater are rare.
A possible EF3 tornado may have formed in Allendale County, South Carolina. Clean was still taking place Wednesday after the large tornado touched down.
Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, the large wedge tornado formed in the county and moved through several communities, including Ulmer. The county experienced a significant damage from the tornado that effortlessly ripped through many properties.
While the exact strength of the tornado hasn't been determined yet by the National Weather Service, videos taken and shared on social media show that the storm was far wider than what's usually seen in South Carolina, indicating this twister is on the higher end of the Enhanced Fujita scale.
An Ulmer farmer told News19 that he witnessed the tornado travel right in front of his home. Extensive damage such as trees split into two, tractor-trailers flipped completely upside down, and silos were snatched and displaced from where they stood before the tornado.
"All I can say is, if you ever hear of one being spotted or a warning, take shelter," said the farmer. "It came and left before we could do anything. I mean, before we knew it was here, it was gone."
In midst of the natural disaster, the American Red Cross of South Carolina announced today that volunteers were working to respond to storm damage and the impacts it caused residents.
According to the organization, five homes were destroyed, four homes have major damage, and six homes have minor damage.
The organization announced that members are responding to provide the affected people with financial assistance for immediate needs like shelter, food, and clothes to the families impacted.