Tornadoes, severe weather storms forecast to hit the Midlands
A powerful storm rolling across the Southeast might have a strong impact on South Carolina and the Midlands early Monday morning, with state officials warning residents to prioritize storm safety over coronavirus-related social distancing guidelines.
According to the National Weather Service’s Sunday night briefing at 5 p.m., there is a possibility of a squall line with isolated tornadoes — some category EF-2, traveling at 111-135 miles per hour — and wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour.
Hail and localized flooding is possible but not expected.
The timing for the most potentially devastating effects of the storm is overnight and continuing between 4-10 a.m. on Monday, NWS officials said at the briefing.
The worst of the storm is predicted from 6-8 a.m. in the Midlands, said the NWS, which could cause considerable damage to trees and branches, in addition to mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings. Vehicles would also be under siege in the case of a tornado.
Quarter-sized hail, at about one inch, is also forecast in the severe weather briefing. Rain moved through the Midlands on Sunday but conditions were not severe.
While everyone is asked to continue to follow coronavirus-related social distancing mandates, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said the severe weather should take precedence as the greatest immediate threat.
“Your first priority should be to protect yourself from a potential tornado if a warning is issued for your area. The imminent danger of a tornado is a greater, immediate threat to your personal safety,” SCEMD tweeted. “Certainly, wherever you choose to protect yourself from a tornado, you should use as many precautions as possible to limit the spread of COVID-19 as best as you can.”
In January, a tornado hit a Midlands high school and destroyed the building.
North Central High School in Kershaw County was severely damaged by the tornado, which was a part of a series of storms rumbling through the Midlands. An EF-2 tornado hit the high school at night, with wind speeds of 130 mph, according to the NWS.
Scenes of the wreckage caused by the tornado included a trail of damage that smashed school buses into each other, blew out windows, ripped the ceiling of portions of a building on the campus and left debris strewn inside and outside of the school.
Strong storms pounded parts of the South on Sunday, damaging buildings and toppling trees in northern Louisiana, according to the Associated Press.
The NWS reported tornadoes throughout the northwest and north central parts of Louisiana. While there were no immediate reports of injuries, utility companies reported thousands of power outages.
The city of Monroe, Louisiana, said the storm damaged commercial buildings and homes in multiple neighborhoods. Flights were canceled at Monroe Regional Airport, where siding was ripped off buildings and debris was scattered on runways.
This story was originally published April 12, 2020 at 9:22 AM.
