A compact but vicious EF1 tornado tore through Delco, a tiny Columbus County community, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at about 3:23 p.m. EDT, ripping the roofs off two houses and chewing up parts of a nearby general store. The brief twister carved roughly a 1.38-mile path and lasted about three minutes, yet still managed to damage a 500-gallon propane tank and leave behind a hazardous fuel leak. County emergency managers reported no injuries as first responders moved in fast to secure the scene and clear debris.
Initial coverage by Spectrum News noted that public videos helped forecasters confirm the touchdown and that meteorologists described the parent storm as an “unusual mini-supercell” that produced no lightning. The outlet cited a preliminary damage survey from the National Weather Service showing estimated winds in the 90 to 100 mph range…