SCEIN

A strong cold front is expected to usher in another shot of chilly air to the Palmetto state — and it may be record-breaking in a few locations.

Early Friday Update: Freeze Warnings are now in effect early Saturday for the Midlands, Upstate, and northwestern parts of the Pee Dee. Frost advisories are in place in Williamsburg County and parts of Georgetown and Horry Counties. 

A large pattern change is expected to bring several opportunities for frost and freezing temperatures to the state this weekend and next week.

Update as of 2:30 PM Friday: The Frost Advisory has been expanded to include the Midlands early Saturday morning, and continues for the Upstate.

The growing season is likely to come to an end this weekend, especially in the Upstate, on the heels of the coldest air mass of the season so far.

The National Weather Service has posted a Tornado Watch until 11 PM for portions of the Upstate, Midlands, and Pee Dee Region. The Tornado Watch includes Greenville, Spartanburg, Rock Hill, Columbia, Sumter, and Darlington.

Several lines of thunderstorms are moving through the Upstate Thursday afternoon, prompting the National Weather Service to issue Severe Thunderstorm Warnings there. Strong winds through a deep layer of the atmosphere, high humidity, and an approaching cold front are the ingredients responsible for the thunderstorms.

A thunderstorm that prompted the National Weather Service to issue Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for the Greenville area and parts of Spartanburg county on Friday morning is part of a larger weather system that is expected to bring additional strong thunderstorms to the state this afternoon and evening.

Halloween is likely to turn dark and stormy for parts of the Palmetto State ahead of the strongest front so far this fall season.

A few reports of wind damage are possible on Tuesday across portions of the Palmetto State.

More beneficial rain is on its way to the parched Palmetto State this weekend.

Nestor has become the season’s 14th named tropical storm as of the 2 PM advisory from The National Hurricane Center. It is moving quickly northeastward and is expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle early Saturday morning. Its track brings the storm over South Carolina during the day on Saturday before moving off the North Carolina coast on Sunday morning.

Update 12:30 PM Friday: 

The "potential tropical cyclone" is still on track to bring much-needed rain to South Carolina. NOAA's Weather Prediction Center says widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are forecast across the state Saturday into Saturday night.

More beneficial rain is on its way to the parched Palmetto State this weekend.

September has been a dry month across the entire Southeastern United States, including South Carolina.

MONDAY 5 PM UPDATE: Karen has been downgraded to a tropical depression, according to the 5 pm advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane hunters found a broad low-level area of low pressure, but the former tropical storm lacked a well-defined center and wind speeds have been reduced to 35 mph or less.
 

Jerry is now a hurricane, making it the fourth of the 2019 season. And chances are increasing that it will not be a threat to the United States.

Hurricane Jerry has become significantly better organized over the past 24 hours, according to an update from the National Hurricane Center at 11 am Thursday. The category 1 storm had maximum sustained winds up to 75 miles per hour, and it was moving west-northwest at 16 mph.

Wednesday morning update:  Tropical Storm Imelda came ashore in southeast Texas Tuesday evening, but will continue to produce heavy rain and possible flooding as a remnant tropical low through the day Wednesday.  Tropical Depression Ten intensified overnight and became the season's tenth named storm, Tropical Storm Jerry.  

The original story, as published Tuesday afternoon, continues below.

The season’s eighth named tropical storm was classified by the National Hurricane Center late Friday night, but it is no longer a direct threat to South Carolina.

Hurricane hunters then found that the tropical storm had strengthened Saturday morning, and it now has winds up to 50 mph. Strong upper-level winds from the southwest were limiting the tropical storm’s ability to become better organized. However, those winds are expected to weaken Sunday when forecasters say Tropical Storm Humberto will be poised for intensification.

Update Friday 5 pm: The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Depression Nine has formed, located 240 miles east-southeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.  A center of circulation was noted on the eastern side of a broad area of low pressure, based on satellite and hurricane hunter data.  The more eastward placement of that center prompted forecasters to make a significant adjustment to the forecast track for the soon-to-be tropical storm, which is now more than 100 miles from the coast of South Carolina early next week.