News Summary
Severe thunderstorms swept through Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, causing extensive power outages and hazardous conditions. The National Weather Service issued multiple alerts as winds reached up to 71 mph. Over 27,000 customers lost power, and many areas faced damaging conditions with scattered debris. Residents were advised to seek shelter and exercise caution during the storms. Restoration efforts are underway to restore electricity, with most outages expected to be resolved soon.
Greenville, South Carolina – Severe thunderstorms swept through Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina on Tuesday evening, causing widespread power outages and hazardous conditions for residents. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued multiple alerts as high winds and lightning created dangerous situations across the affected areas.
As of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, around 27,000 customers in the Upstate and over 10,000 in Western North Carolina were without power due to the storms. Winds were recorded at speeds of up to 71 mph in Westminster, SC, with estimates suggesting that many areas experienced gusts between 60 and 70 mph. The severe weather prompted the NWS to issue a severe thunderstorm warning for a wide range of counties.
On Tuesday at 8:43 p.m., the NWS issued an updated weather alert, valid until 9:15 p.m., warning residents in Abbeville, Laurens, and Greenwood counties to expect wind gusts reaching 40 mph. Doppler radar data indicated the presence of strong thunderstorms along a line from 8 miles northeast of Abbeville to 19 miles southeast of Greenwood, moving northeast at 30 mph.
The thunderstorms led to damaging wind gusts and threats of downed tree limbs and scattered debris. Residents in areas such as Greenwood, Laurens, Ware Shoals, and several others were under the watchful eye of weather officials. The NWS advised residents to seek shelter indoors if they were outside during the storms.
In addition to the alerts for the Abbeville, Laurens, and Greenwood counties, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 8:12 p.m. for Elbert, Hart, Henderson, Polk, Transylvania, and several other counties, forecasting winds expected to reach 60 mph and hail up to 0.75 inches. A second warning followed, covering multiple counties, including Rutherford, Henderson, and Spartanburg, which remained in effect until 9:45 p.m.
Starting at 8:49 p.m., severe thunderstorms continued to be tracked moving from south of Hendersonville toward Greenville, maintaining hazards like 60 mph winds. By 9:18 p.m., these storms persisted in moving eastward, posing risks of damage to trees and power lines.
In these severe thunderstorms, approximately 25 million lightning strikes occur annually in the U.S., mostly in summer, leading to around 20 fatalities each year. The NWS highlighted that the probability of lightning strikes increases as a thunderstorm approaches, hitting its peak when the storm is overhead.
Hydroplaning, where a vehicle slides uncontrollably on wet roads due to water pressure underneath the tires, was also a concern amid the heavy rains associated with the thunderstorms. Residents were reminded to exercise caution while driving during bad weather.
As the storms passed, the NWS continued to emphasize safety measures such as moving to an interior room on the lowest floor of buildings and reporting any prominent wind damage, hail, or flooding situations directly to the agency.
Power restoration efforts were put in place, with most outages reported to be resolved by noon on Wednesday. Utility companies worked diligently to restore electricity to those affected by the extraordinary weather that struck the region.
Despite the severe weather causing disruptions, the focus remains on the recovery and swift restoration of normalcy following the significant impact of the storms felt across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina.
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Additional Resources
- WYFF 4 News
- Wikipedia: Severe Thunderstorm
- Island Packet
- Google Search: Thunderstorm Impacts
- Greenville Online
- Google Scholar: Thunderstorm Warnings
- WSPA News
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Thunderstorm
- Herald Online
- Google News: Power Outages Thunderstorms
- Island Packet News
Author: HERE Greenwood
The HERE Greenwood Staff Writers are a collaborative team of journalists, editors, and local contributors passionate about delivering accurate, timely information to the Greenwood community. As part of the HEREcity.com Network, which powers over 100 U.S. city sites including HEREcolumbia.com, our staff draws on collective experience in South Carolina journalism to cover everything from business sales and real estate developments to dining deals and community initiatives. Our Expertise and Background Local Roots in Greenwood Our team includes lifelong Greenwood residents and SC natives with deep knowledge of the area’s history, economy, and culture. We’ve covered key events like the recent listing of the historic Grier Building, Greenwood’s railroad and textile heritage, and growth in local education sectors (e.g., Piedmont Technical College programs). Collective Experience With over 50 combined years in journalism, our staff has backgrounds in print, digital media, and community reporting. We prioritize fact-based stories, drawing from sources like the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, city government records, and on-the-ground interviews. Commitment to Quality Every article is a group effort, involving research, editing, and verification to ensure reliability. We adhere to journalistic standards, citing credible sources and updating content as new details emerge.
