Weather

A powerful storm is expected to move through the Central U.S. Saturday, sending a squall line of destructive storms through the Mid-South and dumping heavy snow on the Upper Midwest. The system is likely to weaken considerably before reaching South Carolina, but it still might be capable of producing a few severe thunderstorms upon its arrival late Saturday night.

Update as of 10:30 AM Monday:

Heavy rain has overspread much of the Palmetto State and it’s expected to last into early Tuesday morning resulting in a significant risk for flash flooding.

Swaths of heavy rain are expected to spread across the Palmetto State over the weekend. The rain will be heavy enough to cause river and street flooding, but there are still questions as to which parts of the state will see the greatest amounts.

Heavy rain over spread much of the Palmetto State on Friday, prompting the issuance of Flood Advisories and Warnings near the Columbia and North Augusta areas. Data from Doppler radar and rain gauges indicate that 2 to 4 inches of rain has accumulated over the Midlands through early Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, 1 to 3 inches has fallen over the Upstate. Amounts so far have been less than an inch over most of the Pee Dee, Grand Strand, and Lowcountry.

Widespread rain and a few strong thunderstorms are likely on Friday over much of South Carolina. The strongest storms may produce isolated damaging wind gusts and a low chance for a brief tornado in the Lowcountry.

Travelers in highest elevations of South Carolina near the North Carolina border may experience a brief period of freezing rain late Thursday evening into early Friday morning.

Persistent onshore winds and high astronomical tides are likely to cause areas of coastal flooding for the rest of the week. A developing coastal storm may contribute additional coastal flooding this weekend.

Arctic air is moving into the Palmetto state, and it may be record-breaking in a few locations. A freeze is likely across nearly the entire state Tuesday Night, and wind chills could dip into the teens across the Upstate.

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.