Date and Time: Saturday morning March 15th 2008. Location: Five Points. Where partygoers are unaware that the year's most destructive south carolina storm system is entering the midlands. National Weather Service radar images show supercells spreading across the area. Thunderstorms capable of producing the strongest tornadoes.
"The most significant kind of thunderstorms you can get. These are the kinds of storms you see in Oklahoma," said Kim Campbell, National Weather Service.
Hours later the worst case scenario comes true. A line of storms with embedded EF2 and EF3 tornadoes level communities like Prosperity and Branchville. Homes destroyed and businesses wiped off the map communities left unrecognizable.
"Frankly, the damage is much more intense than what you'd see with a hurricane," said Governor Mark Sanford.
Unforgettable to those who experienced the storm.
"Do I think I'm superman because I went through this. No, it tossed me around like I was a toy," says David Spears, storm survivor.
The National Weather Service confirmed forty tornadoes hit the palmetto state that day. Fortunately, the storm claimed no lives. As for March 15th 2009 severe weather is not expected.
The same storm system leveled downtown Atlanta the previous night. Many will remember the storms that shredded CNN Center and the Georgia Dome.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWACH