Stats
Path length: 4 miles
Width: 150 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 39
Rating: F2
County: Horry
Tornado Path
Click Map To Enlarge
The coordinates provided by the SPC Database weren’t correct. The beginning and ending lat/lon were the same (33.7/-78.88). It was a 4 mile path. I found some track maps via NWS Wilmington NC and attaching those instead. The map shows 4 separate damage paths. The main tornado took a path down the beachfront. There were 3 smaller “touchdowns”. It is unclear if this was from the same tornado or separate ones. The damage from all 4 paths is mentioned in one Storm Data entry, so the assumption could be made they were all from the same skipping tornado.
Summary
A tornado made a trek through parts of Myrtle Beach, SC on July 6, 2001. It began near the Myrtle Beach Pavilion at 9th Ave N and moved just offshore becoming a waterspout. The 2nd Avenue N pier was slightly damaged. It moved back onto the beach, becoming a tornado and caused F2 damage. Buses were overturned, and vehicles were damaged. A large billboard was bent over and hotels lining the beach had windows blown out. Palm trees were ripped out of the ground.
After moving down the beachfront, it moved back over water and continued south, coming ashore again between 28th Avenue S and Springmaid Pier. A 66 knot wind gust was recorded at the Springmail Pier anemometer. The now tornado hit the Seagate RV park. Ten RVs were destroyed and 40 more were damaged. There was also weaker F0 damage at the Myrtle Beach International Airport. A total of 39 injuries occurred and there were no fatalities.
Tornado Photo Extracted from Storm Data
Tornado and Damage Photos via NWS Wilmington, NC
Tweets
Incredible video of the July 6th, 2001 Myrtle Beach tornado. With winds estimated as high as 150 mph (F2) and moving northeast to southwest, it ripped through the Grand Stand injuring 36 people. Remarkably no one was killed. #scwx pic.twitter.com/DugnZKb3a2
— Ed Piotrowski (@EdPiotrowski) July 6, 2018
Newspaper Clippings
Sources:
July 2001 Storm Data Publication
Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. Page 991.
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