The National Weather Service in Charleston has confirmed a waterspout that moved onshore at Folly Beach over the weekend.
According to a damage survey released by the NWS, a waterspout that moved onshore at Folly Beach on Saturday afternoon has officially been rated as a EF-0 tornado.
Despite moving directly onshore, no injuries were reported.
Weather service officials reported that a well-defined waterspout first developed from a offshore rain shower just north of the Folly Beach Pier around 2:23 p.m. The waterspout moved slowly west-northwest over the ocean for about ten minutes before making landfall as a brief tornado.
As it crossed the sand, the tornado launched several beach tents, chairs, and umbrellas into the air. The NWS estimates that the max wind speeds were 55 mph.
Damage was minimal, limited primarily to low-growth sand dune vegetation. Weather service surveyors said that there was no structural damage to nearby homes or trees.
NWS said more waterspouts are possible Monday in the waters of Southeast South Carolina and Southeast Georgia.
According to South Carolina Public Radio Chief Meteorologist Tim Miller, this type of weather phenomena is fairly typical this time of year.
Miller said "summer thunderstorms often produce gusty winds and when over the open water, with no friction to get in the way, such as trees or buildings. It's easier for updrafts to enter these storms and produce rotation."
