EF-1 tornado hits Chapin, snaps trees on Lake Side Drive

CHAPIN, S.C. — The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds reaching 95 mph touched down in Chapin Monday night, leaving behind a trail of damage along Lake Side Drive.

Crews with the South Carolina Department of Transportation were out Tuesday clearing downed trees and debris from the road, which had been blocked earlier in the day. Residents say the storm initially didn’t seem unusual—until the tornado warning came through.

“We were sitting out on our back screened-in patio, and all of a sudden a gust of wind came and sideways rain,” said Lisa O’Donovan, a Chapin resident.

“I just heard the loudest strike of thunder. All of a sudden, every light in my house goes off. The house shakes a little bit,” added Matthew Cook, another resident.

The tornado moved off Lake Murray and crossed Lake Side Drive, snapping hardwood trees in its path. The National Weather Service’s Chris Rohrbach confirmed the storm’s strength based on the damage.

“We had snapped trees, snapped hardwood trees, which speeds to do that would typically line up with an EF-1 tornado,” Rohrbach said.

He says the tornado developed quickly on the northern edge of a larger thunderstorm squall line, causing damage primarily to trees along its path, affecting roads including Carol Lane, Lake Tide Drive, and Old Lexington Highway, the tornado passed near several homes but caused no structural damage or injuries. It dissipated just before reaching Interstate 26, with snapped hardwood trees serving as the primary evidence of its destructive path.

Chapin town officials say their public works crews handled only minor cleanup Tuesday and reported no major damage to the town’s water system.