April 1924 tornado outbreak

A destructive tornado family known as the "Anderson Tornado" first touched down across the Georgia–South Carolina border near Hartwell, affecting property in rural areas. The tornado crossed into South Carolina, but did not produce significant damage at first. Once it reached a point about 2 mi (3.2 km) southwest of Anderson, however, it strengthened substantially. It struck the "Masters" or "Masters Store" community, leveling a shop and several other, littler structures nearby. Severe damage began just east of McDuffie Street as the tornado continued to intensify. It razed several well-built homes along East River Street, where more than half of the nine deaths occurred. In Anderson alone, the tornado ruined about 100 little homes, two cotton mills, and many businesses, with losses of about $1.5 million. All nine deaths occurred in Anderson, where about 100 people were injured and roughly 600 were left homeless. Outside Anderson, the tornado flattened a grove of trees and severely damaged a home before dissipating. It was called the worst to hit Anderson County since an F3 tornado hit the area on February 19, 1884. Afterward, the tornado probably reformed into another or more tornadoes before striking northern Laurens County and Walnut Grove in Spartanburg County. At Walnut Grove, 13 mi (21 km) south of Spartanburg, the tornado leveled 14 homes and injured 21 people. After striking Walnut Grove, the tornado widened into a downburst, 1,300 yd (1,200 m; 1.2 km) wide, near Glenn Springs. Total losses from the tornado reached $2 million.[12][18][19][14]

This catastrophic, extremely violent, long-lived tornado likely consisted of two or more tornadoes. It first touched down roughly 11 mi (18 km) northeast of Aiken and remained on the ground almost unceasingly until it entered southern Lee County. The tornado passed near Edmund and traversed the Congaree River approximately 9 mi (14 km) south of Columbia, which reported its most destructive incident, at the time, of large hail on record. Near Adams Pond, south of Columbia, the tornado, described as being "blue-black" and "of great proportions", was 1,400 yd (1,300 m; 1.3 km) wide. The tornado killed eight people in its path across Lexington County, three of whom—a pair of students and a teacher—died in a school at Steedman. Near "Lykesland", southeast of Columbia, the tornado contracted to 1,000 yd (910 m) in width as it approached Horrell Hill. About 2 mi (3.2 km) southwest of Horrell Hill, the tornado may have produced its worst damage as it narrowed to just 500 yd (460 m) in width. It then veered abruptly to the southeast before turning north, followed by another turn to the east—one of many irregular changes in direction suggesting the formation of a new tornado. 12 people died in and near Horrell Hill, including four people in a school "filled with children." In all, the tornado killed 24 people in Richland County. After passing near Horrell Hill, the tornado bent to the northeast before crossing the Wateree River into Sumter County. It then re-intensified, causing 20 more deaths in Sumter County as it leveled rural homes, especially near Gaillard Crossroads. The tornado killed one more person in Lee County, after which its path became intermittent once more. After killing 53 people, injuring 534, and leveling more than 1,300 structures—most of which were insubstantial in size—the tornado finally dissipated 5 mi (8.0 km) north of Timmonsville.[16][14]

• United States Weather Bureau; Sullivan, Richard H. (1924), written at Columbia, South Carolina, "Record Breaking Tornadoes in South Carolina on April 30, 1924", Climatological Data, Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture, 27 (5): 21–2