Wind advisory in effect; rain tapering off

From Staff Reports - kdick@heraldonline.com

The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida reformed into a powerful new storm along the Carolinas coast overnight, sending gusty winds that knocked down trees and cut power service to thousands of Charlotte-area residents this morning.

The "new Ida" is more powerful than the storm that came ashore as a tropical system Tuesday on the Gulf coast in Alabama.

It is causing wind gusts of 70 mph and 30-foot waves off the North Carolina and Virginia coast, and the storm's impact is being felt this morning in the region.

There's going to be less rains from Tropical Storm Ida today, but more wind.

The area is expected to see sustained winds of around 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, the National Weather Service reports. The wind advisory is in effect for Chester and York counties until this evening.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the storm had dumped 3.25 inches of rain at the Rock Hill Airport.

“Expect to see another three-fourths of an inch to 1 inch of rain before it's all over,” said Jeffrey Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

No injuries or swift-water rescues were reported in the area, and officials said there was no major damage from the storm. But there were plenty of downed trees and fender benders.

As the rains poured Wednesday morning, a car crashed into a Rock Hill school bus near North Wilson Avenue and Ebenezer Avenue in Rock Hill, police said.

The bus was picking up students who attend Northwestern High School, district spokeswoman Elaine Baker said. No students were injured in the collision.

The driver the car was found at fault, said Lt. Brad Redfearn of the Rock Hill Police Department.

Crews spent much of Wednesday morning clearing areas where trees fell, some blocking roads and others causing power outages.

“We're watching the runoff as good as we can,” said Cotton Howell, director of York County Emergency Management. “People knew the storm was coming. People have taken heed — especially during heavy rains Wednesday morning and yesterday. For this type of weather, we're very pleased with what we've seen.”

Not many lost power, Howell said. York Electric Co-op had about 200 power outages and Duke Energy reported about 50 outages during the storm.

Chester County Emergency Management reported a few small problems Wednesday, but its biggest scare came Tuesday night when the storm knocked out power at Chester Regional Hospital, director Eddie Murphy said. Backup generators helped to power the hospital during the hour-long outage, Murphy said.

The coastal storm system is predicted to bring heavy rain and high surf along the Carolinas beaches. Its impact will be slow to end, as clouds and possibly a few showers could continue Friday.

By Saturday, sunshine and unseasonably mild weather is forecast for the area.

Rains from Ida remains push sewage into SC rivers

South Carolina health officials say rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida has pushed raw sewage into three rivers around Columbia.

The State reported the Department of Health and Environmental Control on Wednesday put signs warning of bacteria pollution along stretches of the Congaree, Broad and Saluda rivers around Columbia.

Officials urge the public not to swim in the areas or to use kayaks or canoes.

DHEC's Harry Mathis says the sewage spills resulted from line breaks and the failure of pump stations and treatment plant overflows.

Officials did not have an estimate on how much sewage spilled. Sewer overflows often occur when rain washes into pipes, causing contaminated water to leak from wastewater lines, manholes and through sewer plants.