Tornadoes & strong winds possible in Midlands. Here’s when storms are forecast to hit

Forecasters said it is growing more likely that severe weather will affect the Midlands Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for the Columbia area, as rain and thunderstorms will move into the area by early afternoon. The storms are expected to last into the night, and some could become severe and produce damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, and heavy rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.

The hazardous weather outlook is in effect for all of the Midlands, including Richland and Lexington counties.

Tornadoes and powerful wind gusts are most likely to affect the southern portion of the Midlands, National Weather Service meteorologists said in a briefing. Tornadoes could begin forming at 1 p.m., and remain a threat until 8 p.m., according to the briefing.

Damaging straight-line winds, which are the greatest threat of all the severe weather effects, along with flooding and hail are possible from 1-9 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

Wind gusts more powerful than 70 mph are possible, forecasters said.

Thunderstorms could form in the late morning but are most likely to occur in the afternoon, and peak hours for severe weather might be from 4-7 p.m., according to the briefing.

Powerful winds and tornadoes could cause considerable damage to trees and branches, in addition to mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings. Vehicles would also be under siege in the case of a tornado.

Damage to trees and branches creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages.

Up to 2 inches of rainfall is possible in the Midlands, the forecast shows. The amounts of rain could be heavier locally, according to the National Weather Service.

All of the precipitation could lead to flash flooding and river flooding, especially in flood prone and urban areas and locations with poor drainage, the National Weather Service said.

Additionally, thunderstorms can produce dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning.

No warnings or watches have been issued yet for the Midlands, but that is subject to change.

Several Midlands school districts have decided to dismiss students early in an effort to avoid hazardous travel conditions for drivers created by the storms.

The storm system is expected to move past the Columbia area by 10 p.m., but another round of storms is predicted to hit the Midlands on Wednesday. There is some potential for strong or severe storms in the afternoon, again most likely in the southern Midlands, according to the National Weather Service.

Not as much rain is expected Wednesday afternoon and evening, but the primary threat will be damaging winds, the National Weather Service said.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 7:52 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