High wind warning issued for Wednesday

From staff reports - The Herald

Strong, gusty winds combined with wet soil conditions could result in significant damage to trees and power lines today. Also, there may be patches of black ice on some roads.

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg issued a high-wind warning through 6 a.m. Thursday. The high wind watch issued Tuesday is no longer in effect.

Strong northwest winds are expected to develop across most of the upstate with gusts of up to 60 mph, according to an alert from AccuWeather. The winds are expected to be at their worse Wednesday afternoon.

Gusts already have reached 40 mph at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, and an Observer-monitored weather station in Matthews recorded a gust of 46 mph shortly before 5 a.m.

Light rain fell until about 2 a.m., and when skies cleared about 4 a.m., the temperature fell like a rock, plummeting in Charlotte from 36 degrees at 3 a.m. to 27 degrees at 6 a.m. This may cause patches of black ice.

With a low-pressure system rapidly strengthening off the mid-Atlantic Coast, winds across the western Carolinas and northeastern Georgia were expected to remain strong, according to the alert.

Meteorologists said the recent widespread precipitation and cool temperatures have kept the soil saturated, making trees are vulnerable to gusty winds. The result could be �significant damage� to trees and power lines, they said.

The South Carolina Insurance News Service, a nonprofit organization, said a standard homeowner�s policy covers the damage a tree does to a structure and the contents inside.

If a tree hits an insured structure, there is generally coverage for the cost of removing the tree, organization officials said. However, if the tree didn�t hit an insured structure, there is usually no coverage for removing the debris, they said.

A car damaged by a falling tree is covered under the comprehensive section of an auto insurance policy, the officials said.

Wednesday should be sunny but cold, with a high temperature around 38. Temperatures should warm up Thursday with a high of 48.

� The Greenville News & Charlotte Observer contributed