x
Skip Navigation
Breaking News
More () »
news

Irma's Winds Lead to Power Outages, Downed Trees in the Midlands

Here are the latest updates as they come into the News19 newsroom.. 

WLTX app users, click here to view

Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Hurricane Irma brought high winds, heavy rains, downed trees, and power outages to the Midlands Monday, didn't cause some of the widespread damage seen in other parts of the Southeast.

In our area, the peak wind gust was recorded in Orangeburg, where a burst of 54 miles an hour was recorded. All across the area, there were reports of trees down in the state.

At one point, an estimated 200,000 South Carolinians had no power.

Here's a look back at so,e of the key updates from the day via our blog of the storm.

8:52 p.m.

Gov. Henry McMaster made an unexpected visit late Monday night to the SCEMD, for one final check-in for the day on the state's response to Hurricane Irma.

8:37 p.m.

A train in Irmo has found some trees that fell across the tracks. CSX is clearing them now.

8:12 p.m.

Power has been restored to the intersection of Devine & Ft Jackson. Had been out for about three hours or so.

7:29 p.m.

The number of people without power continues to rise.

Boats are being busted loose from their docks at Land's End in Lexington near Lake Murray XXXXXXXXX

7:17 p.m.

Tornado warning in Barnwell & Bamberg Counties. Looks like there's a little spin still left in the atmosphere.

7:09 p.m.

Some dry air is helping to get improve the weather for South Carolina. Won't totally end all the rain, but it's making a little better.

7:02 p.m.

Quick look at how some areas of Hilton Head Island looked early this morning. Flooding has significantly decreased into the afternoon.

6:33 p.m.

One of the most dramatic weather changes has been at Hilton Head Island. Check out Nic Jones' update from there:

6:00 p.m.

The storm has kept temperatures down all day today. Here were the highs.

Tree damage continues to be widely reported around the region.

5:02 p.m.

Gov. Henry McMaster took time to meet volunteers at a shelter at Dent Middle School

4:42 p.m.:

More school plans announced tor Tuesday

Lexington 1, 2, 3, 4 - 2 Hour Delay

Richland 2 - 2 Hour Delay

Full closings list: www.wltx.com/closings

4:25 p.m:

Another tree down, this time on Maple Street. Completely uprooted! It also fell on a vehicle.

4:12 p.m.

Another tree uprooted and fallen on top of power lines on Cyprus & Maple in Columbia. Lot of scenes like this across the Midlands.

4:00 p.m.

Fatal accident on I-77 at Shop Road, near mile marker five.

Unclear yet what led up to it, but it appears two vehicles were involved.

Full story & update: http://on.wltx.com/2wVY57o

3:44 p.m.

Another update from I-20. We found a tree in the roadway near Augusta. Blocking lanes.

3:42 p.m.

News19's Chuck Ringwalt is on Interstate 20 between Columbia and Atlanta. He says there are gusty winds, driving rain, and some debris.

3:33 p.m.:

Severe flooding taking place in Charleston. This is near the Medical University of South Carolina.

3:25 p.m.

Here are the wind gusts across the state over the last hour. Strong winds will continue to be an issue.

3:21 p.m.

Viewer Tabiath Sriram send us this photo of a downed tree in Cayce. Getting similar reports all across the Midlands.

3:15 p.m.

EdVenture children's museum has closed for the day, due to the high winds.

3:10 p.m:

Another big tree down in Columbia, this on Arborwood. Traffic safety unit is there, as is the tree unit.

3:00 p.m.

Some key facts from Governor Henry McMaster's briefing with state officials at the state emergency operations center:

- 25 shelters are housing 885 evacuees; capacity is 13,000 if all space were to be utilized

- No storm-related fatalities have been reported to state officials

- Currently 83 road closures in seven counties

- Approximately 146,000 power outages across the state with most in Charleston, Beaufort, Berkeley, Richland and Lexington counties; about 9,000 workers are addressing utility issues across the Carolinas

- The peak wind reported in the state is 72 miles per hour at Folly Beach. A combination of high tide with intense rain and strong winds has caused widespread downtown flooding in Charleston. Winds are expected to peak this afternoon and evening and then diminish overnight.


- More than 1,000 National Guardsmen and state Department of Natural Resources have been deployed to Florida or Georgia to assist with high-water rescues and safety and security checks.

- The governor said state and local officials have not decided when to allow people from coastal counties back into evacuation zones.

- "It's still a dangerous storm, there's a lot of danger out there," said McMaster.

Watch the 2 p.m. " target="_blank">emergency briefing here

2:45 p.m.

Downtown Charleston is inundated with water

2:32 p.m.

***Outage Update****

Over 9,300 in Lexington County

5,000 in Richland County

All per SCE&G

2:24 p.m.

Governor Henry McMaster is asking people to stay inside. "Don't put yourself, your family, or first responders at risk.

2:21 p.m.

Highest winds gusts in the Midlands, per the Nat'l Weather Service:

53 MPH - Orangeburg Municipal Airport

47 MPH - Shaw AFB

46 MPH - McEntire JNGB

43 MPH - Columbia Metro Airport

43 MPH - Winnsboro

2:19 p.m.

Schools beginning to announce their plans for Tuesday.

Sumter County Schools - 2 Hour Delay

Thomas Sumter Academy - 2 Hour Delay

University of South Carolina - Sumter - 2 Hour Delay

Full closings list: www.wltx.com/closings

2:15 p.m.

Reporter Stepahine Esquivel was in Lexington, where there is debris on the roadway. Here's here live report below.

2:12 p.m.

Trooper David Jones with the South Carolina Highway Patrol says trees and debris have fallen into several Midlands roadways. Use caution and report road hazards by dialing *47.

2:01 p.m.

Here's a car near Hilton Head that's stuck in the flood water.

1:50 p.m.:

There are more than 28 road closures with more than 2,000 crews statewide assessing damage from Irma, per Loren Thomas who's at the SCEMD.

1:48 p.m.

****Tornado watch***** just issued for Orangeburg County in the Midlands until 10 PM. Watch means conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes.

1:45 p.m.

Columbia Metropolitan Airport is saying some flights to Atlanta & Charlotte have been cancelled. They advise to check with your airline on flight status.

1:38 p.m.:

SCEMD reminds folks pet owners can go to any shelter. Volunteers will make arrangements for animals.

1:30 p.m.:

We briefly had a power outage here at WLTX studios on Garners Ferry Road. We went on a generator for a few minutes, but power came on quicly.

1:22 p.m..

News19 Meteorologist Daniel Bonds reported a large pine just snapped in his yard. Very strong wind gusts.

1:12 p.m:

There are 140,000 power outages around the state. Majority of those are in the Lowcountry and the Midlands.

1:02 p.m.:

Update on Henderson Street. Again, no injuries

12:45 p.m:

Here's another angle of the tree down on Henderson Street in Columbia. Again, no injuries:

12:30 p.m.:

Huge tree has fallen at the 600 block of Henderson Street. Some residents were inside at the time, per Columbia police. No injuries were reported.

12:10 p.m.:

Al traffic lights are out on Augusta Road at I-20 in the Town of Lexington to West Main Street at Gibson Road

12 p.m:

Tornado Warning in Charleston County

There have been multiple tornado warnings throughout the Lowcountry. This one came down around noon and was in effect for Charleston County

More Videos

Next up in 5

Example video title will go here for this video

In Other News

Texas city investigates cause of house fire

Before You Leave, Check This Out