No injuries after storm, possible tornado, near Lake Murray

A strong storm Sunday afternoon might have spawned a tornado that moved over Lake Murray, causing some damage to homes and trees but no reported injuries.

Winds from a strong vertical line of thunderstorms also whipped trees to the ground in parts of the Midlands Sunday.

At 5:17 p.m., the National Weather Service office in Columbia reported a possible tornado over Lake Murray northwest of Lexington, moving northeast.

At the home of Brian Cook, who lives in Turners Pointe on the western side of Lake Murray, about a dozen trees around his property were cracked and damaged by high winds.

Unofficial reports to the National Weather Service office in Columbia included a pontoon boat that flipped on its side in Ballentine and several trees down near Shadowood Drive. In Gilbert, a tree crashed onto a roadway at Calks Ferry and Spring Hill Road.

Other damage in the Midlands included a tree that fell on a boat in south Congaree, trees in the roadway at Hutchinson Street and Blue Ridge Terrace near St. Andrews and a few trees down in downtown neighborhoods in Columbia.

In Calhoun County, the emergency management division reported two people were injured when a mobile home was destroyed on Ott Sisters Road.

Earlier, the strong storm line moved through the western part of the state, where Edgefield County officials reported trees down at various locations in the town of Edgefield, including trees down at Bouknight and Woodyard roads at 4:24 p.m.

Trees also were reported down in Jasper County, including near Highway 321. A trained spotter reported a funnel cloud at 4:25 p.m. near Springfield, but it did not touch down.

The media tent at the RBC Heritage golf tournament at Hilton Head Island was evacuated as the weather became severe.

Trees were reported down off I-26 near Orangeburg.

Multiple trees were down in Brunson, between Allendale and Hampton.

The line of severe thunderstorms with winds in excess of 60 mph moved along a line extending west of the Midlands and moving at 45 mph Sunday afternoon.

The stormy weather was associated with a vertical system moving through Georgia. The tornado watch extended through the northern portions of Florida.

This story was originally published April 19, 2015 at 1:18 PM with the headline "No injuries after storm, possible tornado, near Lake Murray."