PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG, SC 535 PM EST FRI JAN 14 2005 ...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN LAURENS COUNTY... A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE FROM LAST NIGHTS STORMS IN LAURENS COUNTY HAS CONFIRMED THAT A TORNADO OCCURRED. THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE EXTENDED FROM THE VICINITY OF LAURENS HIGH SCHOOL NORTH NORTHEAST TO A POINT JUST NORTHWEST OF THE CITY OF LAURENS. NUMEROUS TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO FRAME STRUCTURES. A FIRE OCCURRED IN A LARGE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING APPARENTLY AS A RESULT OF TORNADO DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE. EYEWITNESSES REPORT THE TORNADO OCCURRED SHORTLY AFTER 730 PM EST. A TORNADO WATCH HAD BEEN ISSUED AT 540 PM EST... AND A TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR LAURENS COUNTY FROM 702 PM UNTIL 745 PM EST. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE EVALUATED BEFORE THE STORM ASSESSMENT IS COMPLETE AND A FUJITA SCALE CATEGORY IS ASSIGNED. PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 404 PM EST FRI JAN 14 2005 ...TORNADO CONFIRMED IN ROWAN COUNTY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS COMPLETED ITS STORM SURVEY IN ROWAN COUNTY AND CONFIRMED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN SOUTHEAST OF GRANITE QUARRY. BASED ON EYEWITNESS REPORTS THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 155 AM EDT. TWO METAL INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE...ONE BARN WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED...AND NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED ALONG THE TRACK. THIS IS CONSISTANT WITH THE LOW END OF F2 DAMAGE ON THE FUJITA SCALE. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR ROWAN COUNTY AT 109 AM EDT AND WAS EFFECTIVE AT TIME. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED NEXT WEEK IN A SUMMARY WHEN OTHER STORM SURVEY TEAMS COMPLETE THEIR REPORTS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT VINCE DICARLO AT (864) 848-9970 X 223. $$ DICARLO PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG, SC 729 PM EST FRI JAN 14 2005 ...JANUARY TORNADOES RARE BUT NOT UNHEARD OF IN SOUTH CAROLINA... THURSDAY EVENING'S TORNADO IN LAURENS COUNTY HIGHLIGHTED AN IMPORTANT FACT ABOUT TORNADOES. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS BEING MORE COMMON IN THE SPRING THAN IN ANY OTHER SEASON... TORNADOES CAN OCCUR ANYTIME OF YEAR IN THE SOUTHEAST. PRIOR TO THURSDAY EVENING...16 OF THE 759 TORNADOES REPORTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE 1950 HAVE OCCURRED IN JANUARY. TWO OF THESE SIXTEEN AFFECTED THE UPSTATE...INCLUDING THE EASLEY TORNADO OF 7 JANUARY 1998...THE LAST JANUARY TORNADO REPORTED IN THE STATE. THE EASLEY AND LAURENS TORNADOES ALSO REMIND US THAT WINTER TORNADOES CAN BE JUST AS STRONG AS THEIR SPRING COUNTERPARTS. THE EASLEY TORNADO WAS ONE OF THE STRONGEST AND MOST DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES TO HAVE AFFECTED THE UPSTATE DURING THE PAST 15 YEARS. ALTHOUGH ANALYSIS OF THE LAURENS TORNADO IS NOT YET COMPLETE... PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS ARE THAT IT WAS OF COMPARABLE INTENSITY TO THE EASLEY EVENT. $$ LANE