Hurricane Helene brings tornado threat to Charleston area Thursday through Friday morning

UPDATE: 12:58 AM – The tornado warning has expired.

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UPDATE: 12:10 AM – A tornado warning has been issued for portions of Charleston and Colleton counties until 1 a.m.

Storm moving towards Cottageville and Walterboro, Storm Team 2 says at 12:39 a.m.

The storm is moving north towards Parkers Ferry Rd as of 12:37 a.m.

NWS reports power pole damage on Palmetto Blvd in Colleton County at 12:15 a.m. due to Helene’s impact.

A severe storm moving at 55 mph is currently heading north towards Little Edisto. This storm has the potential to produce a tornado.

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UPDATE: 10:14PM – The tornado warning has expired.

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UPDATE 9:45PM – A tornado warning was issued for southern Charleston and Colleton Counties until 10:15 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm that could produce a tornado was located over Adams Run and moving northwest at 40 mph.

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A tornado watch has been extended for most of South Carolina until 8 a.m.

Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, and Williamsburg are included in the watch area.

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UPDATE 8:45PM – Tornado warnings in Colleton County expire.

Flooding closes 10 roads in downtown Charleston. Click here for list of street closures.

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UPDATE 8:27PM – Colleton County Emergency Manager reports a tree down at the intersection of Bells Highway and Azalea Patch Road.

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UPDATE 8:02PM – A tornado warning was issued for Colleton County until 8:45 p.m.

NWS forecasters say a severe thunderstorm that could produce a tornado was located over Ashepoo, moving north at 24 mph.

Locations to watch include Walterboro, Ritter, Ashepoo, Green Pond, Round O, Neyles, Drawdy, Thayer, Lowcountry Regional Airport, and Colleton Medical Center.

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UPDATE 7:31PM – The tornado warnings have expired. A tornado watch remains active until 9pm.

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UPDATE 7:19PM – The National Weather Service said a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near James Island County Park and moving northwest at 25 mph.

The tornado warning for Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties continues until 7:30 p.m.

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UPDATE 7:04PM – A tornado warning was issued for Charleston County until 7:30 p.m. The warning includes portions of Berkeley and Dorchester Counties as well.

An area of interest was located over Charles Towne Landing moving north at 35 mph.

Impacted areas include North Charleston, Summerville, Goose Creek, Hanahan, West Ashley, I-26/I-526 interchange, downtown Charleston, Johns Island, James Island and Ladson, according to the National Weather Service.

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UPDATE 6:49 PM – The tornado warning was dropped for Georgetown County but continues for Williamsburg County. The storm capable of producing a tornado was located near Henry or 22 miles east of Kingstree, moving north at 25 mph. The warning remains in effect until 7:15 p.m.

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UPDATE 6:33PM – A new tornado warning was issued for Georgetown and Williamsburg counties until 7:15 p.m.

The National Weather Service said a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Rhems, or 16 miles northwest of Georgetown, and moving north at 25 mph.

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UPDATE 5:50PM – A tornado was issued for portions for Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties until 6:15 pm. A storm capable of producing a tornado was located near North Santee or west of Georgetown moving west at 35 mph, according to NWS.

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UPDATE 1PM – A tornado warning was issued for a portion of Colleton County near Lodge. The warning was expected to expire at 1:15 a.m.

The National Weather Service said a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Lodge and moving north at 30 mph. The system moved into Bamberg County, and the warning for Colleton County was dropped.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A tornado watch was issued Thursday morning for portions of South Carolina including Charleston, Colleton, Berkeley, and Dorchester Counties until 9 p.m.

Storm Team 2 Meteorologist Josh Marthers said rain bands associated with Hurricane Helene have an enhanced risk of producing tornadoes in our area. “Be alert and ready to take action if warnings are issued,” he said.

A tropical storm warning is also in place for all of South Carolina as the storm is expected to impact the region Thursday into early Friday morning.

Helene was upgraded to a Category 2 storm Thursday morning. It is expected to become a large, major hurricane before making landfall around Florida’s Big Bend region during the evening and track north across Georgia into early Friday morning.

Impacts from Helene extend well to the east of there the storm tracks, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm-force winds with frequent gusts between 40 mph and 60 mph are likely. Most will see up to 50 mph but those near the coast can expect up to 60 mph.

“VIPERCAST shows areas of rain spreading across the Lowcountry through the day today – coming in waves we’ll get some breaks from time to time. It’s not going to rain the entire time but the main event I think is going to be late evening into the overnight hours,” said meteorologist Josh Marthers.

The VIPERCAST shows the main band around Helene begins to lift north over the Lowcountry around 3 a.m. on Friday. The isolated tornado risk increases with the bands rolling off the Atlantic.

“Notice the shape of all these – they kinda have a kidney bean look to it. That’s an indication on the computer model of rotating supercell structures and those are causing the alarm for the potential of tornadoes,” said Marthers.

Marthers adds there is a significant threat of tornadoes across lower South Carolina down into southern Georgia.

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