Tornado warning issued for Columbia area as severe thunderstorms move through SC

Both a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado warning were issued Sunday morning for the Columbia area of South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.

The tornado warning was in effect through 8:15 a.m., and the severe thunderstorm warning didn’t expire until 8:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said.

Even after those warnings expired, the possibility of severe weather affecting the Midlands continued through Sunday afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologists said in a morning briefing. Severe weather’s possible through 3 p.m. as breezy conditions will persist, according to the briefing.

Additionally, a tornado watch was in effect through 2 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

Richland County and Lexington County were included in both the tornado warning and tornado watch. Nearly all of the Midlands were under the tornado watch, including Kershaw, Sumter, Calhoun, Clarendon, Lee and Orangeburg counties, according to the National Weather Service.

The latest update showed the tornado threat increased for the eastern portion of the Midlands, the National Weather Service said in the briefing.

At 7:43 a.m., the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said a tornado was sighted at Dreher Island, and it was headed down Lake Murray toward the dam.

In addition to the potential of tornadoes, a strong cold front was bringing the threat of strong-to-severe thunderstorms, localized flash flooding and gusty winds, the briefing said.

Strong winds could reach 60 mph in the Columbia area, according to the severe thunderstorm warning.

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.

In addition to the warnings and tornado watch, a lake wind advisory was issued for all of the Midlands. That advisory is scheduled to run through 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Strong winds — as powerful as 25 mph, along with 40 mph gusts — and rough waves on area lakes will create hazardous conditions for small craft, the National Weather Service said.

There’s a 90% chance of rain in Columbia Sunday, and up to half an inch of rainfall is possible, the forecast shows. Localized amounts could be higher.

Once the rain stops on Sunday, conditions are expected to be dry and warm the next three days, with temperatures rising from highs in the 60s to a possible of 78 degrees on Wednesday, according to the forecast.

This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 8:16 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