Isolated tornadoes, large hail, damaging wind gusts possible Wednesday

Severe storms are expected to thunder through the area Wednesday into Thursday, bringing with them the possibly of dangerous conditions, according to an update from the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

Power outages, downed trees, and structural damage could happen as a result of the severe weather.

Storms will blow into the area Wednesday, with the bulk of the system raging Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, according to Steve Pfaff, warning coordination meteorologist with the weather service.

“This severe weather event may be accompanied by multiple hazard types from large hail to tornadoes and damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Currently, the primary threat is from damaging wind gusts, followed by large hail and tornadoes,” said Pfaff in a 10 a.m. weather briefing update Wednesday.

Confidence is high there could be damaging thunderstorm winds and hail, and limited confidence exists for the chance of flooding and tornadoes for northeast South Carolina and southeast North Carolina, Pfaff said.

“People are advised to maintain a high level of situational awareness, especially tonight. Check your NOAA Weather Radio batteries and be prepared to act if warnings are issued for your area,” said Pfaff in the weather briefing.

Rainfall averages are projected to climb to about 1 or 2 inches across the advisory areas with the heaviest downpours happening in the evening into Thursday morning, and there could be higher isolated amounts in some places.

“Some low-lying, poor drainage areas may flood as a result,” said Pfaff.

The risk of large hail will likely increase Wednesday afternoon and into the evening with a 30 percent probability for the damaging, icy precipitation in Horry and Georgetown counties and other coastal regions.

A potent cold front Thursday is also stirring strong winds that could reach 25 to 35 mph, and a wind advisory may be needed. On Wednesday, there could be damaging thunderstorm wind gust up to 60 mph, especially during the evening. A few tornadoes are also possible, Pfaff warned.

“The primary threat is from damaging thunderstorm wind gusts in excess of 60 mph. Secondary threats include tornadoes and large hail. As a result, those areas affected by the strongest thunderstorms could receive structural damage, downed trees, and subsequent power outages,” Pfaff said.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Isolated tornadoes, large hail, damaging wind gusts possible Wednesday."