Sirens sound, tornado warning in York County: Hail possible as storm nears
A tornado is possible along with damaging winds and hail the size of quarters as storms are expected to pass through York, Chester and Lancaster counties Monday afternoon, officials said.
A tornado warning was issued for York County by the National Weather Service around 12:45 p.m.
York County tornado warning sirens were activated around 12:50 p.m.
“A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado,” was located near Smyrna about 11 miles northwest of the city of York, the weather service said.
The tornado warning expired at 1:15 p.m.
However, a tornado watch remains in effect for York, Chester and Lancaster counties through 7 p.m. Much of South Carolina and the Charlotte region into North Carolina are covered by the tornado watch.
The National Weather Service said earlier winds could reach 45 MPH, officials said. An advisory was sent out for western York County through the city of York.
The area affected includes northern and western York County including Blacksburg and Kings Mountain Military park northwest of Clover.
Through the afternoon, enough instability and wind shear will be present south and east of Interstate 85 for some storms to become severe, weather officials said.
“The stronger storms will produce damaging wind gusts and hail the size of quarters or larger,” the weather service said in a statement. “An isolated tornado will also be possible.“
Emergency Management officers in York and Lancaster counties advised residents to monitor the weather.
Periods of rain with possible storms are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday before the late week weather clears, forecasters said.
Check back for updates on this developing story
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 12:42 PM.
