According to the damage survey for the tornado that touched down in Moncks Corner around 2:53 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, as a result of Tropical Storm Debby, its peak wind speed was 95 miles per hour, which classifies it as an EF1.
It was on the ground for nearly 4 miles and was 150 yards wide, touching down just east of McCormick Circle. It snapped two trees in the woods just behind an Applebee’s.
The tornado then moved northwest, causing damage to the Applebee’s sign, and then turned west and impacted the Arby’s. This was the location of the most serious damage as numerous windows were blown out at the Arby’s on both the west and east-facing sides of the building.
The rooftop air conditioner was also blown into the Arby’s parking lot. However, no other structural damage was noted, so the degree of damage was kept near the middle of the expected wind speed. The Walmart Supercenter to the northwest of Arby’s also sustained some minor roof fascia damage, which was starting to peel off from the main structure.
After this, the tornado continued to move northwest and passed Mitton Road, where several trees were uprooted, with a few branches greater than three inches in diameter broken. A residence on Mitton Road also had roof damage to less than 20% of the structure.
The tornado then moved northwest and weakened as it crossed Kitfield Road, where some branches were observed broken. To the northwest on Lois Circle and Broughton Road, branches that were snapped were noted. Finally, the tornado moved to the northwest and dissipated on the northern end of the Pinopolis peninsula on the south end of Lake Moultrie.
The National Weather Service at Charleston praised Berkeley County Emergency Management for its help with various damage photos and track maps.