Tropical Storm — Richland, South Carolina

2024-09-27 · Richland, South Carolina

Event narrative

Many trees and power lines down throughout the county. Some roads were closed. Sections of the county were without power. Falling trees caused damage to structures across the county, particularly in the northwest portion of the county. At least 250 homes sustained some level of damage including 18 destroyed and 94 with major damage. Maximum wind recorded at McEntire Air National Guard Base (KMMT) was 31 knots sustained (36 mph) with a max gust of 46 knots (53 mph). A mesonet site located in Columbia at Laurens and Lady streets measured a max gust of 55 mph. A woman was killed when a tree fell on her mobile home. Areas of flooding with many gages throughout the county measuring 2 day rainfall totals between 5 to 8 inches of rain. Heaviest rain was observed in the city of Columbia with a CoCoRaHS gage measuring 10.76 inches north of downtown.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central Georgia by early morning on September 27. Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm and produced widespread significant wind damage, including wind gusts above 100 mph across east central Georgia and central South Carolina as well as numerous tornadoes. Numerous fatalities and injuries were reported associated with the passage of Helene.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1209658. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.