Tornado warnings expire as thunderstorms ripple across Lowcountry | SC Climate and Environment News

On the night of April 5, a tornado warning was issued throughout the three-county area as the southern tip of South Carolina was hit by stormy weather.

The National Weather Service’s Charleston office issued a tornado warning to the Charleston, Berkeley, and Dochester counties from 7 pm as a heavy thunderstorm struck the area.

The last tornado warning expired by 8 pm, but the tornado warning continued until 9 pm in the area.

In Berkeley and Charleston counties, heavy thunderstorm warnings were issued until 9 pm. Forecasters warned that gusts up to 70 mph and penny-sized hail could damage trees and power lines.

At 9 pm, more than 12,400 residents of Charleston County were reported to be out of power, according to poweroutage.us, a website that tracks power outages across the United States.

Over 9,000 of these outages were reported by Dominion Energy customers.

Charleston police reported on Twitter before 9 pm that a major power outage in the city was causing traffic lights to malfunction or flash.

“Be careful when traveling throughout Charleston,” the agency said.

According to the website, more than 1,500 residents have lost power in Dorchester County and about 400 have been reported in Berkeley County.

The Meteorological Bureau issued a tornado clock in the area late in the afternoon.

“Clock” means good atmospheric conditions to form a tornado. Tornado warnings are more serious — potential tornadoes may be found or expected.

Weather Services issued a tornado warning from around 4 pm to counties in southwestern South Carolina, including Bamberg, Orangeburg, Colleton, Beaufort, and several towns in the state, with heavy thunderstorms in the area. Passed through.

At around 5:40 pm, South Carolina parliamentarians suspended the session and evacuated due to a tornado warning in Columbia.

After the tornado was discovered in the area heading to Sycamore, a tornado emergency occurred in Allendale. Photos of Allendale’s intertwined power lines, uprooted trees, and fallen branches were posted on social media hours after the storm struck the county.

Allendale County manager William Goodson told The Associated Press that a tornado captured in a social media video caused damage to his local county, but it’s unclear exactly how much damage was done. Said.

“We know the building is damaged and the power lines are down,” Goodson said. “My agent and emergency authorities appreciate it.”

At least one person was reported to have suffered a non-life-threatening injury in Allendale, SC Emergency Management reported on Twitter at 7:15 pm. Officials said there were no reports of deaths as a result of the storm at the time.

According to officials, the South Carolina Red Cross has opened a shelter at Allendale-Fairfax Elementary School for residents affected by the storm.

According to the Meteorological Agency, heavy thunderstorms were expected to affect South Carolina and most of the rest of the southeastern United States until evening, resulting in hail and gusts of over 60 mph.

The agency at the southern end of the state was closed prior to forecasting bad weather. A spokeswoman said the Charleston County School District canceled all after-school activities on April 5.

The county public library closed at 4 pm and the recreation center closed for an hour thereafter.

Trident Technical College and South Carolina State University also closed in the afternoon.

Lowland residents need to be aware of fallen tree limbs and entangled power lines on the road. In the Charleston area, it was predicted that it would rain 1 to 1.5 inches. This can lead to small floods in lowlands such as the downtown peninsula.

According to the Meteorological Bureau, the rain was expected to continue on April 6.

Rebecca Davidson, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Bureau, said:

Residents need to pay attention to storm warnings as the forecast progresses.

phone Olivia Diaz At 843-901-2995. Follow her on Twitter @oliviardiaz.