When will it rain in Columbia due to Tropical Storm Elsa? Here’s what forecasters say
Tropical Storm Elsa is headed toward South Carolina, and it will bring a significant amount of rain to Columbia.
Scattered showers could start by Wednesday afternoon, but the heaviest rainfall is not expected until hours later, National Weather Service Meteorologist John Quagliariello told The State.
It will be after dark, at about 10 p.m., when the “real heavy showers” start falling in the Midlands, Quagliariello said.
The heavy rains are expected to continue for hours into Thursday morning, before moving away from the Columbia area, according to Quagliariello. The continued rainfall could cause problems for drivers on the Thursday morning commute.
“There will still be heavy rain when people go to work in the morning,” Quagliariello said.
Overall, 1-3 inches of rain could be recorded in Columbia, according to the National Weather Service. Higher amounts of rainfall are possible in certain areas affected by storms.
Even after the most significant amounts of rain taper off, more scattered showers will be possible on Thursday, when there is a 90% chance of precipitation, the forecast shows.
Columbia won’t dry out too soon. Tropical moisture will linger across the area Friday into the weekend continuing the potential for locally heavy rainfall, the National Weather Service said in a hazardous weather outlook.
The heavy rainfall could trigger localized flash flooding, especially in urban and low-lying areas, the National Weather Service said.
No warnings or watches have been issued for the Midlands. But both, and other advisories, remain a possibility, according to the National Weather Service. A flash flood watch or tornado watch would be the most likely to be issued, although Quagliariello said neither was anticipated based off the Wednesday morning forecast.
Elsa, which was previously classified as a hurricane twice, made landfall on the north Florida Gulf Coast at about 11 a.m., according to the National Hurricane Center. In the afternoon, the storm is forecast to make a turn to the northeast toward South Carolina.
“It will move across to the Carolinas tonight,” Quagliariello said.
Like the rain, breezy conditions could begin in the afternoon, but the strongest winds aren’t expected until after 10 p.m., according to Quagliariello.
In what the meteorologist called a “worst-case scenario,” winds between 39-57 mph could affect Columbia. But gusts in the 30-35 mph range are closer to what Quagliariello expects.
“We want people to be prepared,” Quagliariello said. “It will be breezy enough to blow down objects.”
The meteorologist recommended securing any loose objects outside of homes.
Additionally, powerful winds could cause damage to trees and branches, which creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages.
Although the chances are low, there’s a 20-30% possibility of tropical storm force winds in the Midlands, the National Weather Service said.
The winds should die down before the rain does, and the powerful breezes are not expected be as significant of a threat by late Thursday morning.
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