Tropical Storm — Central Orangeburg, South Carolina

2024-09-27 · Central Orangeburg, South Carolina

Event narrative

Many trees and power lines downed. Some roads closed. Sections of the area without power. Across all of Orangeburg county, at least 28 homes sustained some level of damage including 5 destroyed and 15 with major damage. NWS analysis estimated maximum wind gusts were around 70 mph. Maximum wind measured at the Orangeburg Municipal Airport was 29 kts sustained (33 mph) with a maximum gust of 50 kts (58 mph). Flooding occurred in areas with generally 2 to 4 inches of rainfall measured, although a CoCoRaHS gage northwest of Orangeburg measured 5.22 inches of rain.

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 1210898. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.