It’s not a hurricane, but storms could cause tornadoes, flooding in Midlands
There are no hurricanes or tropical storms currently in the Atlantic Ocean, but severe weather is still forecast to affect the Midlands this week.
Severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, and flooding are all possible, the National Weather Service office in Columbia said in a Monday briefing.
The severe weather is predicted to arrive on Tuesday, with the most powerful effects expected in the afternoon and evening, according to the briefing.
A cold front moving across South Carolina will be the source of the storms, the National Weather Service said.
There will be a marginal risk of strong to severe thunderstorms, and the main threat will be strong damaging wind gusts, according to the briefing. Isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out, the National Weather Service said.
The heavy rain could cause flooding of low lying areas, and areas that are prone to flooding, and will also cause area rivers to rise, it said in the briefing.
There is an 80 percent chance of precipitation in Columbia, where two inches of rainfall is possible, according to the forecast. Locally higher amounts are possible, the National Weather Service said.
There is a significant chance for lightning, but hail is not expected to be a threat in Tuesday’s storms, according to the briefing.
After the storms pass through the Midlands, pleasant Fall conditions are expected for the beginning of October, and temperatures will be cooler than normal along with dry conditions for the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
Temperatures are expected to range between lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s through Sunday, according to the forecast.
This has been a busy year for storms in the Atlantic, with four named storms affecting the Midlands. The remnants of Hurricane Sally and Tropical Storm Beta in the past two weeks had a greater impact on the Columbia area than either Isaias or Laura did earlier this hurricane season.
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