CHAPIN, S.C. – An EF-1 tornado with 95 mph winds tore a path over six miles long through Lexington County during Monday evening’s severe weather. The brief but powerful storm touched down near Chapin, leaving a trail of downed trees and marking the second tornado to hit the county this year.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) in Columbia, a storm survey team confirmed the tornado’s details on Tuesday. The event occurred between 8:48 p.m. and 8:49 p.m. on June 9, beginning four miles southwest of Chapin and lifting two miles east of the town.
The tornado carved a 200-yard-wide path of damage through the area. This is the seventh confirmed tornado within the NWS Columbia warning area for 2025, highlighting an active year for severe weather in the region. Images from the survey show large trees snapped and uprooted, consistent with the EF-1 rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Local officials have not reported any injuries associated with the storm.
Residents in the affected path are cleaning up debris left by the brief touchdown. The confirmation from the NWS survey team provides official closure on the storm’s intensity as the community assesses the full extent of the damage.
