Severe storms and possible tornadoes in forecast for Midlands

Thunderstorms are forecast to roll through the Midlands Wednesday, and they could cause tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service office in Columbia.

Damaging winds and large hail are the greatest threats posed by the storms, officials said in a hazardous weather outlook.

There might be multiple rounds of thunderstorms, first in the afternoon and then again in the evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Scattered thunderstorms could develop between 2-6 p.m., and another line of showers and storms is predicted to move into the Columbia area from the west at night, from 6-11 p.m., officials said.

The timing is uncertain, but a weak tornado can’t be ruled out in the afternoon or evening, according to the National Weather Service.

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

As of 9 a.m., no watches or warnings were in effect.

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

The hail can damage vehicles and roofs, according to the National Weather Service.

Lightning hazards could also be a threat, according to the forecast.

Between a quarter to half of an inch of rain could fall in Columbia by the end of Wednesday night, as there is a 80% chance of precipitation, according to the forecast. Higher amounts of rainfall is possible in certain areas affected by thunderstorms.

Temperatures are expected to approach a high of 80 degrees, before dropping to a possible low of 47 at night, according to the forecast. Cooler temperatures are predicted for the Columbia area after the storms move out, with highs in the 50s on Thursday and Friday.

Those temperatures are expected to be even colder overnight, and there is a marginal freeze risk, with frost likely Friday night into Saturday morning, according to the hazardous weather outlook.

No further showers are expected through the weekend, the forecast shows.

There is also increased fire danger on Thursday because of the combination of strong winds and lower humidity, the hazardous weather outlook said.

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 31, 2021 at 9:21 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