NWS confirms tornado touchdowns in Marion, Robeson County
MARION, S.C. (WMBF) - The National Weather Service is reporting damage across portions of South and North Carolina from severe weather on Tuesday.
RELATED COVERAGE: Marion Police Department announces road closures due to storm damage
A tornado touchdown at 6:10 p.m. in Marion, causing windows to blow out, roofs to collapse and multiple downed trees.
The NWS report showed the tornado was an EF-1, reaching an estimated 90 mph peak wind.
It formed near the intersection of Baker Street and Baptist Street, where large limbs and roof damage were seen.
The tornado then continues northeast, causing damage near Mullins Street and Withlacoochee Street.
Still, NWS said the most significant damage was seen in downtown Marion along Main Street, with a roof completely collapsed near the city center.
Across the street from the roof collapse, windows and window divers were blown out.
The tornado continued northeast and dealt small damages to homes and businesses before ending north of Luther Rogers Road at 6:13 p.m.
NWS Meteorologist Jordan Baker, who surveyed Marion, said it was a narrow damage path.
The NWS report states most of the damage was rated at EF-0 at 70 miles per hour, besides the peak intensity downtown.
“There was a lack of significant tree damage typically seen with tornadoes which may indicate that the tornado did not contact the ground for a long period of time,” the report reads. “It is worth noting all buildings on Main Street that observed significant damage were two to three-story masonry buildings.”
Some downtown Marion business owners said the weather started out as a typical May thunderstorm, but it turned dangerous in an instant.
“It just went from like misty, to it got like really, really dark. The winds picked up. We saw debris, limbs and things started flying. The windows started shaking,” said Frederick Gause, owner of Fred’s Barber Shop and Champion Martial Arts.
Gause was teaching a karate class when the storm rolled through. He said he git worried about him and his student’s safety.
“My door kind of slung open, and the windows, these big windows began to shake really, really hard. The pane that’s above my head broke, glass fell on the ground,” said Gause.
While the tornado only lasted a few minutes, some businesses said it could take months until they’re fully cleaned up.
“We’re so fortunate that no one was injured, no one was hurt. The things that were destroyed can be replaced, but people, you can’t get people back. So, I’m grateful we walked away without a scratch,” said Gause.
No injuries from the tornado were reported.
OTHER TORNADO DAMAGE REPORTED
The NWS also said an EF-0 tornado was confirmed in Robeson County, North Carolina between the areas of Pembroke and Red Springs. A detailed report released Wednesday stated the tornado originated in the area of Townsends Chapel Road, just north of Denae Drive.
The Robeson County tornado reportedly uprooted trees and caused damage to homes in the area on its five-mile path. No injuries were reported.
An EF-0 tornado was then reported around 7:49 p.m. near Evergreen, North Carolina. The NWS said county emergency management reported four houses damaged by that tornado on Red Store Road near Old Lumberton Road.
Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers tells our sister station in Willmington a barn was also severely damaged, but no one was hurt.
“The people’s houses that got hit, they saw it, they were scared,” the sheriff told WECT. “They said it was terrifying to see the clouds spinning right in front of them.”
Another EF-0 tornado was also reported in Bladen County, North Carolina. Storm damage was also reported in Marlboro County, with a NWS survey team heading there on Thursday.
Stay with WMBF News for updates.
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