A squll line pushed through the Midlands, CSRA, and Pee Dee region taking down trees and powerlines. An EF0 also occurred in Northern Richland county.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS CAE wrote it up.
A squll line pushed through the Midlands, CSRA, and Pee Dee region taking down trees and powerlines. An EF0 also occurred in Northern Richland county.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 2, 6:06 AM EST, 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 606 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK WARM FRONT CURRENTLY ACROSS THE STATE WILL MOVE NORTHWARD TODAY ALONG WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST FOR TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING ALONG WITH INCREASING CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN FOR SUNDAY INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... UPDATE...WARM FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE CENTRAL MIDLANDS HAS INTENSIFIED AND EXPANDED EASTWARD OVER THE PAST SEVERAL SCANS WITH SOME ISOLATED THUNDER IN SOME OF THE CELLS. HAVE ADJUSTED THE FORECAST FOR THE CURRENT TREND AND INCREASED POPS OVER THE NORTHERN MIDLANDS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. UPDATE OUT SHORTLY FOR SKY COVER AND POPS. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...SATELLITE IMAGERY CURRENTLY SHOWS MAINLY MID AND UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS THE PALMETTO STATE...HOWEVER SURFACE OBSERVATIONS PAINT A DIFFERENT PICTURE. PATCHY FOG HAS DEVELOPED ALONG WITH LOWERED CEILINGS AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS WITH SOME RAIN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ACROSS THE UPSTATE. EXPECT THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE MOVING NORTHWARD ALONG THE WARM FRONT THIS MORNING AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WITH TEMPERATURES RISING QUICKLY INTO THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 70S THERE WILL BE INSTABILITY ACROSS THE REGION...BUT WITH THE WARM FRONT MOVING NORTHWARD THERE WILL BE A LACK OF A TRIGGER MECHANISM. AS SUCH HAVE ADJUSTED CLOUDS UPWARD AND ADJUSTED POPS TO ALIGN BETTER WITH FRONTAL MOVEMENT BUT HAVE NOT INCREASE POPS MUCH AS COVERAGE SHOULD BE LIMITED. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA LATE TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH INSTABILITY WILL BE WEAK...EXPECT 50-60 KT H850 MB WINDS. PLENTY OF MOISTURE WILL BE AVAILABLE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S. THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS/STORMS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. LIMITING FACTOR CONTINUES TO BE THAT THE MAIN UPPER-LEVEL SUPPORT IS STILL FORECAST TO BE LAGGING WELL BEHIND THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AS IT MOVES THROUGH. THIS...ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE MAY HELP TO LIMIT THE SEVERE THREAT. THE MODELS INDICATE THE COLD FRONT MOVING INTO EASTERN SC BY THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON SATURDAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON THE FRONT...THEREBY SLOWING ITS SPEED. THE FRONT MOVE EAST OF THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH DRYING OCCURRING ON THE BACKSIDE. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE BUILDING ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE LONG TERM PERIOD. DRY WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. BY THURSDAY THE HIGH MOVES FAR ENOUGH OFFSHORE AND WINDS ALOFT BECOME MORE SOUTHWESTERLY...THUS THERE COULD BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAINFALL IF THE MOISTURE RETURN IS GREAT ENOUGH. AS THE HIGH SETTLES IN EARLY IN THE WEEK...EXPECT TO HAVE STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHTS WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA. NEAR-FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY OCCUR. TEMPS WILL BEGIN TO MODERATE BY MIDWEEK WITH THE RETURN OF UPPER LEVEL RIDGING. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS WITH CONDITIONS IMPROVING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE LATE IN THE TAF PERIOD. WARM FRONT CURRENTLY MOVING NORTHWARD THROUGH CAE/CUB HAS STARTED A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE TAF SITES BY 13Z. FOG AND LOW CEILINGS WILL ERODE WITH SUNRISE AND MIXING WITH VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. LATE IN THE TAF PERIOD A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HAVE NOT INCLUDED ANY TS OR CB LATE IN THE PERIOD DUE TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN TIMING OF FRONT. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS IN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WITH PASSAGE OF THE NEXT FRONT. BREEZY CONDITIONS POSSIBLE SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC 434 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012 GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-030945- LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD- MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON- RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON- BAMBERG- 434 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA AND CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION SATURDAY AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
603 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012
SCZ020-021-021130-
FAIRFIELD-NEWBERRY-
603 AM EST FRI MAR 2 2012
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF FAIRFIELD AND
NEWBERRY COUNTIES THROUGH 630 AM EST...
AT 601 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM...20 MILES WEST OF WINNSBORO...MOVING EAST AT 35
MPH.
SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED INCLUDE...
WINNSBORO...
PREPARE NOW FOR THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS...
GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH...
PEA SIZE HAIL...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REPORT LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OR FLOODING TO YOUR COUNTY
SHERIFF...OR CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOLL FREE AT 1...8 7
7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2.
&&
LAT...LON 3427 8101 3427 8152 3446 8159 3446 8155
3445 8153 3446 8152 3447 8107
TIME...MOT...LOC 1103Z 272DEG 55KT 3436 8140The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
19 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported nickel to quarter size hail and strong winds near Monticello in western Fairfield County.
Dispatch reported several trees and powerlines down from just west of Winnsboro, in Winnsboro, and areas east of Winnsboro.
Dispatch reported nickel to quarter size hail in Winnsboro and areas just east of town.
Sheriff reported nickel size hail on Hwy 341 5 miles east of the town of Kershaw.
Dispatch reported a couple of trees down on Hwy 221.
Dispatch reported a couple of trees down on the west end of the county on Garret road.
Dispatch reported trees and powerlines down countywide.
Disparch reported trees and powerlines down from Newberry to Pomeria.
Dispatch reported trees down around the Jenkinsville area.
Dispatch reported a several trees down on Hwy 34 and Hwy 69.
An EF0 tornado touched down just west of Monticello road on the back end of Columbia International University then crossed the intersection of Houston Street and Bishopville Ave. Theo tornado continued with intermittent touchdown east to Patton Lane. Many trees and large branches were down, some which fell on a mobile home doing minor damage.
SKYWARN Spotters reoprted antennas and trees down across northern Richland county from southeast of Irmo to the Kershaw county line.
Sheriff reported trees down along the 1500 block of Corley Mill road.
Sheriff reported trees blocking the roadway near Goodsprings road and Hwy 19.
SKYWARN spotter reported some trees down in the Forest Acres area.
Dispatch reported trees down in Elgin and areas east toward Camden.
Sheriff reported trees blocking the road on Burning tree road and near Bush River road.
Dispatch reported a couple of trees and powerlines down on Mill Street and alson Hwy 97 near the land fill.
Sheriff reoprted trees down at Broad River road and Haviland Circle.
Sheriff reported trees down on Calks Ferry road near Pond Branch road.
Dispatch reported trees down on Lee State Park road North Northwest of Bishopville.
Sheriff reported trees down at Beatty road and Morningside Drive.
SCEG reported power outages due to large limbs and trees on powerlines near Neeses.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Carolina, 2012Warnings in South Carolina, March 2012
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 359282, 359289, 359284, 359286, 359290, 359292, 359293, 359294, 359295, 359296, 359288, 359297, 359298, 359299, 359301, 359303, 359304, 359307, 359309, 359310, 359311, 359312, 359313.