Chance of severe weather is forecast in the Midlands with wind gusts expected

There is an increased chance that the Midlands will be affected by severe weather on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service office in Columbia.

The possibility of severe weather has risen from a marginal to a slight risk, as storms rumble through the area that includes Richland, Lexington, and Kershaw counties along with much of the rest of the Midlands, according to a hazardous weather outlook.

The area north of Interstate 20 has the greatest chances of being impacted by the line of storms, but the possibility of severe weather remains for the lower portion of South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.

In addition to severe thunderstorms, wind damage from 60 mph gusts and hail are the greats threats, the National Weather Service said.

A lake wind advisory has been issued from 11 a.m. through 5 a.m. Monday. As of 10 a.m., no other watches or warnings were in effect.

The exact timing of the severe weather is uncertain, but storms are most likely to arrive between 2-6 p.m. as they move toward the southeast, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters allowed that storms could arrive in the western Midlands as early as noon.

Between a quarter to half of an inch of rain could fall in Columbia by the end of Sunday night, as there is a 60% chance of precipitation, according to the forecast. Higher amounts of rainfall is possible in certain areas affected by thunderstorms.

Damaging winds could cause considerable damage to trees and branches, which creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages.

The hail, which could be an inch large or the size of a quarter, can damage vehicles and roofs, according to the National Weather Service.

Lightning hazards will also be a threat to anyone outside, according to the forecast.

Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 80s on Sunday before dropping to a possible low of 45 degrees at night, according to the forecast. Cooler temperatures are predicted for the Columbia area after the storms move out, with highs in the 60s on Monday.

Showers are expected to return on Tuesday and Wednesday before leading to another cold spell at the end of the week, the forecast shows.

Nearly a year ago, in April 2020, at least 20 tornadoes hit South Carolina in a massive storm that caused nine deaths and more injuries, in addition to damaged and destroyed property.

This story was originally published March 28, 2021 at 10:41 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