Tornado watch canceled; scattered rain and storms to continue Sunday night
A tornado watch that included several Midlands counties was lifted Sunday night, and forecasters say the area will likely only see scattered rain and thunderstorms heading into Monday morning.
The National Weather Service earlier Sunday warned of possible tornadoes and winds in excess of 70 mph. The tornado watch, which included Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg and Barnwell counties and was scheduled to last through 10 p.m. was canceled just after 7 p.m. The weather service office in Charleston removed the remaining South Carolina counties from the watch around 8 p.m.
“The warm front that was expected to stay somewhat south of Columbia today stayed even further south than what we were thinking,” said Chris Rohrbach, a meteorologist with the weather service. “We really didn’t see much in the way of strong winds.”
Wind from the northeast kept the warm front – and the potential for damaging winds – farther south, Rohrbach said.
“Without that warm air in the low levels, it’s hard to generate a strong thunderstorm,” he said.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms were expected to continue through the night Sunday, Rohrbach said. Monday will bring a 20 to 30 percent chance of rain and a high of 60 degrees.
Skies are expected to clear Tuesday with highs in the mid 60s.
Forecasters had said rain wouldn’t be a concern with Sunday’s weather event, and much of the Columbia area received 1 to 1.5 inches of rain Sunday, Rohrbach said. Some areas around Augusta received 2 to 3 inches.
Earlier Sunday, the weather service gave preliminary confirmation that damage in some South Carolina communities in Orangeburg and Barnwell counties Saturday was the result of an EF-2 tornado.
While it appeared the Columbia area was spared the worst of the weekend storms, other areas across the South were not as fortunate.
At least 18 storm-related deaths had been reported by early Sunday evening, with four in Mississippi and the rest in Georgia, according to the Associated Press. That number will likely change overnight Sunday.
More on weekend storms
While it appeared the Columbia area was spared the worst of the weekend storm, other areas in Southern states were not as fortunate.
▪ Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Georgia reported damage from weekend storms. Tornado warnings and watches lingered into early Sunday night in parts of other states, including Florida and South Carolina.
▪ At least 18 deaths had been reported by early Sunday evening, with four in Mississippi and the rest in Georgia. That number likely will change overnight Sunday.
▪ The weather is expected to move up the East Coast Monday and into Tuesday, with heavy rains and winds expected. That could disrupt air travel.
At thestate.com: The latest on the storm, including photos of damage throughout the South.
This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Tornado watch canceled; scattered rain and storms to continue Sunday night."