Severe storms could return to Midlands for second day in a row, forecast shows

A day after powerful storms rumbled across the Columbia area, there’s the risk of more severe weather returning to the Midlands in Tuesday’s forecast.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop and move through the region Tuesday, the National Weather Service said in a morning briefing.

The storms have the potential to be strong and severe, according to a hazardous weather outlook.

The thunderstorms are forecast to develop over the western portion of the Midlands in the afternoon and continue through the evening as they move east across the area, the briefing said.

A second round of storms are possible later in the night, according to the briefing.

Damaging wind gusts will be the main threat posed by the storms, the National Weather Service said. The winds could cause considerable damage to trees and branches, which creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages.

Large hail and lightning are also considered possible threats from the storms, according to the briefing. The hail can damage vehicles and roofs.

Additionally, an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, forecasters said in the hazardous weather outlook.

Much of the Midlands is under a slight risk of the severe weather, but storms are possible in the other portions of the Columbia area that are listed as a marginal risk, according to the briefing.

A tornado warning was issued for the Gilbert, Red Bank and Summit areas of Lexington County during Monday’s storms.

As of 8:30 a.m., no watches or warnings have been issued.

Golf ball sized hail and heavy, almost blinding rain were also reported in the Midlands on Monday.

There was so much precipitation that Monday’s 1.41 inches of rainfall was the record for the most ever on May 3 at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, the National Weather Service said. It was a significant amount, especially after less than an inch of rain was recorded at the airport for the entire month of April.

Between a quarter and half an inch of rain could fall in Columbia by the end of Tuesday night, as there is a 50% chance of precipitation, according to the forecast. Higher amounts of rainfall are possible in certain areas affected by thunderstorms.

Temperatures are expected to approach a high in the mid 80s, before dropping to a possible low of 67 degrees at night, according to the forecast. Warm temperatures, in the mid-to-high 80s, and more rain is possible in the Columbia area on Wednesday.

There is the possibility of more isolated storms Wednesday, but widespread severe weather is unlikely, according to the hazardous weather outlook.

No further showers are expected at the end of the week, the forecast shows.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.