Tornado watch issued for Columbia area as severe thunderstorms are forecast

A tornado watch has been issued for all the Midlands region of South Carolina Thursday, as severe weather is forecast to drench the Columbia area, according to the National Weather Service.

The tornado watch is in effect until 1 p.m.

A strong front will push through the area Thursday morning into the early afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. As the likelihood of rain and powerful winds increases in the Midlands, temperatures will drop from the high 60s to the 50s, the forecast shows.

Showers and thunderstorms will move through in the morning, bringing the threat of strong-to-severe thunderstorms, especially in the southern Midlands, the National Weather Service said. Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat, but a brief tornado or two cannot be ruled out, according to the National Weather Service.

Parts of Richland, Lexington and Fairfield counties were under a tornado watch until 10:15 a.m. Thursday, as a severe weather storm moved through the Columbia area. At the State House, lawmakers and workers stood in the parking garage below ground until after the watch expired.

Periodic wind gusts over 40 mph are likely, National Weather Service meteorologists said in a briefing. Additionally, isolated spots of stronger damaging winds are possible.

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.

While the severe weather effects are forecast to move out of the Columbia area by the afternoon, breezy conditions expected to linger behind the rain into the evening, according to the briefing.

All the wind in the forecast prompted the National Weather Service also to issue a lake wind advisory. It will go into effect at 10 a.m. and is scheduled to run to 8 p.m.

The chance of precipitation is 100%, the forecast shows. As much as half of an inch of rain is possible. Localized amounts could be higher, especially during thunderstorms.

Conditions are expected to warm up under sunny skies in the days following Thursday’s storms, according to the forecast. Temperatures will return to the 60s Friday and approach the mid-to-high 70s over the weekend.

This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 8:00 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