Strong thunderstorms forecast to hit Midlands in morning commute, weather service says

Powerful thunderstorms were forecast to roll across South Carolina and hit the Midlands during the Tuesday morning commute, according to the National Weather Service office in Columbia.

Along with heavy rainfall, the storm could cause flooding and damage caused by powerful wind gusts, the NWS reported.

This could cause traffic issues for drivers, and multiple collisions were reported along Interstate 20 and Interstate 26 by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

The NWS also warned Interstate 95 could be affected by the storms, especially in the stretch between mile marker 133-146.

Among the areas that could experience the most severe weather are Columbia and eastern Richland County, southern Kershaw County, in addition to Clarendon, Sumter, Chesterfield and Lee counties, according to the NWS.

The storm is predicted to impact those regions until at least 9:15 a.m., the NWS said.

In an alert, the NWS said the storm was moving at a 60 mph clip just north of Batesburg-Leesville earlier in the morning.

Wind gusts in the 40-50 mph range are possible, as is localized flooding, according to the alert.

The impact could include damage caused by falling trees and limbs, in addition to blowing around of lighter unsecured objects.

All of the heavy rainfall could cause flooding, and drivers are warned not to drive vehicles through flooded roads.

Columbia is still recovering from receiving more than 4 inches of rain last Friday, a record amount in a single December day, according to the NWS.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 7:59 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription