NWS: 23 tornadoes hit SC on April 13, at least 6 were EF3

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed 23 tornadoes touched down in South Carolina on Monday, April 13.

Damage surveys are still ongoing and officials said the number of tornadoes could still go up.

Of those twisters, at least six were EF3, which means they had winds as high as 165 mph.

This is the biggest tornado outbreak in the state since 1984, NWS officials said.

Nine people were killed in the storms.

Gov. Henry McMaster has declared an additional state of emergency to help with storm response efforts.

Officials said 1,478 homes in 22 counties were damaged in the storm. Of those, nearly 150 were destroyed.

The damage estimate is about $10 million so far and will likely rise, a representative of the Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) said.

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During the storms, the peak number of power outages across the state was 290,000. For some, it took days to get the lights back on.

SCEMD encouraged the public to download their official app to report damage to the agency. Click or tap here for more information about the app.

NWS officials urged the public to review their emergency plans because we are still in the peak of tornado season.

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