Severe weather possible in Midlands as Hurricane Delta’s remnants move north

As the remnants of Hurricane Delta continue to move north, they are forecast to affect the Midlands on Sunday.

In addition to heavy rain, what is now a post-tropical cyclone could cause more severe weather in the form of thunderstorms, damaging winds and tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service office in Columbia.

As of Sunday morning no warnings, watches, or advisories have been issued by the National Weather Service, but there is a hazardous weather outlook.

There is a marginal risk of powerful winds, which might include isolated tornadoes and damaging gusts, the National Weather Service said in a Sunday morning briefing.

The damaging winds are not forecast to be widespread, but instead should be limited to isolated areas, according to the briefing. Far removed from hurricane status, Delta was still reported to have maximum sustained winds near 30 mph Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The wind, along with rain and thunderstorms, is expected to start in the Midlands in the late morning hours and persist into the afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

Up to an inch of rain could fall in the Columbia area Sunday, according to the briefing. It’s possible some areas in the Midlands could see locally higher amounts of rain, the National Weather Service said.

There’s a 70% chance of showers in Columbia, and possible thunderstorms are in the forecast.

While the chance of flooding remains greatest over the Upstate region of South Carolina, it will remain a threat in the Midlands for the early part of this week as rainfall in Upstate rivers flows south, the National Weather Service said.

Delta is the most recent storm to affect the Columbia area after roaring north through the Gulf Coast. It follows fellow storms that were at one point powerful hurricanes including Sally in September and Laura in late August. Tropical Storm Isaias also dumped significant rainfall as it rumbled through the region at the beginning of August.

Delta is forecast to continue weakening as it heads northeast toward the Mid-Atlantic states on Monday, the National Weather Service said.

After Delta moves through the Midlands, the forecast for the beginning of the week is warm and dry. No precipitation is expected as high temperatures in Columbia could reach the low-to-mid 80s through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 9:46 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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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