A brief tornado touched down near Bristol last Wednesday as a line of severe thunderstorms swept through the area.
Pierce County Emergency Management Director Santo Niño said there was minor damage to about 10 homes and farms, but no injuries were reported.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Jacksonville, FL, sent a survey crew to investigate the damage. The NWS released its assessment report Friday afternoon.
According to the report, the tornado was classified as an EF-1 on the Fujita scale with a 0 rating being the weakest and a 5 being the most violent.
The EF-1 tornado is estimated to have had winds at 90 miles per hour. The touchdown was just west of Dogwood Road south of Bristol proper. The storm traveled northeast toward Crump Lane, East Horseshoe and Tabby and Blalock Roads before lifting and dissipating prior to reaching Georgia Highway 121. The tornado was about 200 yards across and traveled for about 3.2 miles. It was on the ground for about three minutes.
The NWS survey crew found many downed trees, some snapped near the base and others that were uprooted. A small water tank was topples, several farm outbuildings were heavily damaged and an irrigation pivot system was overturned.
