Rain came Sunday afternoon; experts say conditions will get worse. What to expect.
The hours shortly before and after daybreak Monday could bring a threat of severe thunderstorms and a few tornadoes to the Rock Hill area, forecasters and emergency management officials say.
A strong low pressure system, responsible for a number of severe weather alerts Sunday across the Deep South, is expected to sweep across the Carolinas on Monday. Forecasters say the highest risk for the Rock Hill area will come from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
And once the line of storms has moved east, forecasters say strong non-thunderstorm winds could cause additional damage across the region.
The advance guard of the storm system, in the form of rain showers, arrived in the Rock Hill area early Sunday afternoon.
National Weather Service meteorologists say shower activity was expected to increase later Sunday night, possibly causing flash flooding across parts of the area.
But the biggest problems are possible with a line of strong storms that is predicted to move into the western Carolinas early Monday, then push steadily eastward during the morning and afternoon.
“Damaging wind gusts and tornadoes will be possible with this line,” says National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Krentz.
Several atmospheric conditions will combine to create a high threat of severe weather, says Greg Dial, of the government’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. Those conditions will include shear, or winds coming from different directions at various levels of the atmosphere; and very strong winds just off the surface.
In addition, warmer and more unstable air is forecast to push into the Carolinas late Sunday night and early Monday. Temperatures, which were in the lows 60s much of Sunday, were forecast to climb near 70 degrees overnight.
“This environment will promote an ongoing risk … capable of damaging wind and tornadoes,” Dial says.
The storm threat comes at a time when people are being advised to stay home and practice social distancing to curb the COVID-19 spread. S.C. Emergency Management officials said Sunday that residents should continue avoiding close contact with one another -- but preventing injury or death from a tornado is most important.
The line of powerful thunderstorms will push quickly east of the Rock Hill area by mid-morning Monday, affecting the eastern parts of the Carolinas. Sunshine should return to the region by midday.
But the strong winds a few thousand feet above the ground will continue for much of the day. Some of those winds are expected to reach the surface, with gusts possibly reaching 50 mph
Monday afternoon.
Krentz says those gusty afternoon winds could down tree limbs and power lines -- hours after the thunderstorms have moved on.
Calmer conditions are finally expected to arrive Monday night, with winds relaxing.
The rest of the week is forecast to be on the cool side, with temperatures warming by the weekend. Rain and chilly temperatures are predicted for Wednesday, with the rest of the work week staying dry.
This story was originally published April 12, 2020 at 3:52 PM.
