Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Central South Carolina and East Central Georgia

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Columbia, SC, has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for portions of east central Georgia and central South Carolina. The warning was triggered by radar-indicated severe thunderstorms moving east at 30 mph.

Affected Areas

The following geographic regions are included in this warning:

• Georgia: East central Columbia County and central Richmond County.
• South Carolina: Newberry, Edgefield, Saluda, Aiken, western Fairfield, western Lexington, and northwestern Richland counties.

Specific locations impacted include Augusta, Aiken, North Augusta, Newberry, Batesburg-Leesville, Winnsboro, Clearwater, Martinez, Aiken Mall, VC Summer Nuclear Station, Belvedere, Edgefield, Hephzibah, Saluda, Johnston, New Ellenton, Jackson, Whitmire, Prosperity, and Ridge Spring. This alert also covers Interstate 20 (GA mile markers 196-201; SC mile markers 0-49), Interstate 26 (mile markers 64-98), and Interstate 520.

What You Should Do

For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Residents should remain alert for a possible tornado, as they can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado, go at once to a basement or a small central room in a sturdy structure.

Additionally, if you are on or near Lake Murray, move away from the water and take shelter immediately to avoid frequent lightning and large, capsizing waves.

Expected Conditions

• Wind: Gusts up to 60 mph are expected, which may cause damage to trees and powerlines.
• Tornado Threat: Tornado development is possible.
• Hail: Radar indicates potential hail up to 0.75 inches.
• Storm Position: As of 8:57 AM EDT, storms were located along a line extending from near Whitmire to near Edgefield to near South Augusta.

Timeline

The Severe Thunderstorm Warning is effective until 9:45 AM EDT on March 12. A separate Tornado Watch remains in effect for east central Georgia and central South Carolina until 1:00 PM EDT.