Thunderstorm Wind in Fairfield County, South Carolina

Broadcast media relayed a picture of a roof covering blown off at City Gas and Fuel. Time estimated by radar.

Wednesday March 5th saw a sharp mid level trough over the Great Lakes region with an associated surface low here as well. This low pressure system brought a strong cold front and a line of convection ahead of it during the morning hours. A strong low level jet came into place across the region with 60-70 kts of southerly flow. As this line moved into the forecast area, strong non-thunderstorm gusts were reported ahead of the line with the strong low level winds mixing down to the surface. Once the convective line entered the area shortly after daybreak, little instability was seen but strong shear and the strong cold front drove the line before it exited by the early afternoon. This line resulted in numerous reports of thunderstorm related wind damage.