South Carolina, 2022High Wind and Strong Wind in South Carolina, January 3, 2022
January 3, 2022 · NWS CHS · 9 events in 9 counties and zones
A strong cold front moved across southeast South Carolina in the early morning hours, producing very strong winds across the area. The strong winds first occurred in the southerly flow immediately ahead of the front, and then also in the westerly flow in the wake of the front.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 9
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.
A strong cold front moved across southeast South Carolina in the early morning hours, producing very strong winds across the area. The strong winds first occurred in the southerly flow immediately ahead of the front, and then also in the westerly flow in the wake of the front. The period of strong winds lasted for several hours and produced damage across several counties.
What forecasters said that day
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 3, 3:45 AM EST, 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 3:45 AM EST, 15 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 3, 3:48 AM EST, 12 minutes before
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</html>In the hours before
Local storm report, Jan 2, 11:50 PM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:02 AM EST, 58 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:10 AM EST, 50 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:14 AM EST, 46 minutes before
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</html>Strong Wind, Jasper
- When
- January 3, 4:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Jasper forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
South Carolina Highway Patrol reported several trees down across Jasper County due to strong winds.
Strong Wind, Hampton
- When
- January 3, 4:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Hampton forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 32.776, -81.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
South Carolina Highway Patrol reported several trees down across Hampton County due to strong winds.
Strong Wind, Coastal Jasper
- When
- January 3, 4:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Coastal Jasper forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
South Carolina Highway Patrol reported several trees down across Jasper County due to strong winds.
High Wind, Beaufort
- When
- January 3, 4:30 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Beaufort forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
South Carolina Highway Patrol reported several trees down across Beaufort County due to strong winds. Also, a report was received via social media of a tree falling onto a mobile home which displaced the occupants. Measured wind gusts around the county during the period of strong winds included 66 mph measured at the Weatherflow station in Calibogue Sound and 63 mph measured at the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station (KNBC).
Strong Wind, Northern Colleton
- When
- January 3, 4:30 AM EST to 6:30 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Colleton forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 32.843, -80.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Colleton County Emergency Management reported numerous trees and a few power lines down across much of the county. Approximately 27 trees were reported down, with most of them being in and around Walterboro. Trees were also reported down around Cottageville, Williams, Smoaks, Lodge, Ritter, Islandton, Hendersonville, and Moselle. Also, South Carolina Highway Patrol reported numerous trees down across all of Colleton County. During the time of the strongest winds, the RAWS site in Walterboro measured a 52 mph wind gust.
Strong Wind, Southern Colleton
- When
- January 3, 4:30 AM EST to 6:30 AM EST
- Where
- Southern Colleton forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
South Carolina Highway Patrol reported numerous trees down across Colleton County due to strong winds.
Strong Wind, Dorchester
- When
- January 3, 5:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Dorchester forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 33.080, -80.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
South Carolina Highway Patrol reported several trees down across Dorchester County due to strong winds. Other reports included a large tree blown down with part of it hitting a house causing minor damage near the intersection of Hickory Street and W Luke Avenue. Also, the public reported that wind gusts broke off 3 inch diameter tree limbs and also damaged some power poles.
High Wind, Charleston
- When
- January 3, 5:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Charleston forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
Charleston Police Department reported that traffic lights were out at several intersections across the city due to blown transformers caused by strong wind gusts. Wind damage occurred in numerous locations across the county, including a tree down on a mobile home in the Ravenel area. A social media post showed pictures of the steeple blown off Cooper River Baptist Church. A tree was reported down near the intersection of Prominent Way and Park Avenue Boulevard. Another tree was down in a driveway in the Shadowmoss subdivision. A telephone pole was broken and blown into other power lines, with reports of power outages at Folly Beach. Two boats were flipped into the water with some beach erosion near Dewees Inlet. Finally, scaffolding on an apartment building was blown down by strong winds in Downtown Charleston. The strongest winds measured in and around Charleston County included 62 mph at the Charleston International Airport (KCHS), 58 mph at the Weatherflow site at Folly Beach County Park, 63 mph at the Weatherflow site at Fort Sumter, and 60 mph at the Weatherflow site at Shutes Folly.
Strong Wind, Inland Berkeley
- When
- January 3, 7:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Inland Berkeley forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 33.198, -79.951 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A trained spotter reported a 12 inch diameter pine tree down along Interstate 26 between mile marker 201 and 202.
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- High Wind and Strong Wind in South Carolina, January 3, 20221 death · 53 kt wind · 27 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, January 3, 2022$1.6 million · EF1 · 22 events
- High Wind in North Carolina, January 3, 2022$200,000 · 60 kt wind · 2 events
- Winter Storm and Strong Wind in North Carolina, January 3, 2022$50,000 · 4 events
- Winter Storm in Virginia, January 3, 2022$16,000 · 24 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Virginia, January 3, 202228 events
- Winter Storm in Idaho, January 3 to 6, 2022$15,000 · 15 events
- Winter Weather in Virginia, January 3, 202220 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Maryland, January 3, 202214 events
- High Wind in Nevada, January 3 to 4, 202279 kt wind · 13 events
- High Wind in Wyoming, January 3 to 4, 202271 kt wind · 12 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 3, 202211 events
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1001990, 1001991, 1001992, 1001989, 1001993, 1001994, 1001995, 1002001, 1001997.