Monday rains just the beginning for Columbia

Monday evening thunderstorms that rolled through the Midlands were just the start for a potentially rainy weekend, according to forecasts provided by the National Weather Service.

Evening rains, just under 2 inches according to rain totals at Hamilton-Owens Airport, flooded many low-lying streets throughout Columbia, making them impassable for about an hour. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the area shortly after the storms began.

The weather service is calling for more rain through the rest of the week starting with a 30 percent chance of less than an inch of precipitation beginning Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers beginning at 1 a.m.

However Thursday will kickoff a rain-filled weekend with a 50 percent chance of showers, which increase to 60 percent in the evening, according to weather service forecasts. The chance of rain decreases Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon with a 40 percent chance of rain throughout that time period, according to the weather service.

Saturday night that chance of rain decreases slightly to 30 percent, which continues through Sunday afternoon, according to the weather service.