A deep upper trough and an associated surface prefrontal trough translated from the Deep South into the Southeast during the morning hours. A long-lived QLCS containing strong to severe storms propagated along with the prefrontal trough, likely cold-pool dominated.
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 deep upper trough and an associated surface prefrontal trough translated from the Deep South into the Southeast during the morning hours. A long-lived QLCS containing strong to severe storms propagated along with the prefrontal trough, likely cold-pool dominated. This QLCS produced multiple reports of wind damage as well as multiple confirmed tornadoes.
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 Dec 29, 6:20 AM EST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Columbia SC
620 AM EST Sun Dec 29 2024
.SYNOPSIS...
Today will be warmer and breezy with showers and thunderstorms
likely along and ahead of an approaching cold front, with some
severe thunderstorms possible. High pressure builds in behind
the front for Monday, before the next chance of rain arrives on
Tuesday. Cooler and drier conditions follow for the mid to late
week period.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
Key Message(s):
- Tornado Watch through 1 PM
- Damaging winds and a few tornadoes are possible
Convective line moving into eastern Georgia early this morning,
and should continue eastward at a steady clip moving through
the CWA. CSRA will be impacted from 7-9, central Midlands 9-11,
and eastern Midlands 10-1. Low level winds remain backed enough
to support large low level shear values, potentially supporting
a few short-lived tornadoes embedded within the main QLCS.
Tornado chances look slightly higher in the central and eastern
midlands where MUCAPE is a bit higher, allowing for stronger
effective shear. Damaging winds are possible everywhere as the
MCS moves through.
It will also be very mild today, in part supporting the
convective threat. High temps will be 10 or more degrees above
normal despite the clouds and rain.
The actual cold front will move through several hours after the
initial convective line during the late afternoon and early
evening. An isolated thunderstorm cannot be ruled out with that
line, but dry air moving in aloft will help counter an otherwise
favorable instability and shear profile.
High pressure will start to move in behind the system
overnight. The air mass behind the front is quite mild of east
Pacific origin, so min temps will remain well above normal.
&&
.SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
Key Message(s):
- Even behind the front, wild weather continues through the
period.
Monday and Monday Night: Behind the exiting front, warm and dry
conditions are expected to prevail through Monday night. Most
guidance continues to show temperatures still above normal for
both daytime highs and overnight lows. Skies will have cleared
out and the area should see a good amount of sunshine through
the daytime hours. However, clouds will begin to increase again
Monday night ahead of the next approaching system.
Tuesday and Tuesday Night: The next chance for rainfall will
move in during the day Tuesday ahead of another storm system.
Much of the energy with this system will be passing off to our
north, and moisture will be somewhat limited. Best chance for
any rain will occur mainly over the northern Midlands into the
Pee Dee region Tuesday late morning into the afternoon. The
southern Midlands and CSRA are forecast to remain on the dry
side. Daytime highs still above normal ahead of the system, with
readings in the mid 60s north to the lower 70s across the
southeastern cwa. A cooler air mass moves in behind this system,
but temperatures Tuesday Night should still be above seasonal
values for the end of December.
&&
.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Key Message(s):
- Cooling trend follows for the mid to late week period.
Not much change through the longer term. Cold front moves
through and east early in the period. This will be a front that
actually brings temperatures back down to around normal for the
end of December and early January as dry high pressure settles
into the region. The next chance of precipitation should hold
off until late next weekend.
&&
.AVIATION /12Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
High confidence in IFR/MVFR restrictions again dominating
through the day, with improvements to vfr beginning by 00z.
As a cold front continues moving towards the area early this
morning, winds off the surface are forecast to increase. These
winds aloft will also cause llws to occur at all locations
through the morning ahead of the front.
At issuance time of 12z, the main focus at all locations will
become the potential for convection moving into the area. Have
continued to tweak the timing for convection as it moves into
the CSRA sites of AGS/DNL, then into the Midlands later this
morning. Placed tempo periods indicating best chance for strong
to severe thunderstorm potential along with convective gusts to
40 mph.
Once the convection and front moves through, llws will abate,
and clouds will begin to lift into vfr at all locations,
especially after 00z tonight.
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Restrictions possible Tuesday
mainly at CAE/CUB as the next system rapidly moves through the
region.
&&
.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...Lake Wind Advisory until 6 PM EST this evening for SCZ016-018-
020>022-025>031-035-037-038-041-115-116-135>137.
GA...Lake Wind Advisory until 6 PM EST this evening for GAZ040-
063>065-077.
&&The Columbia radar (KCAE), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:42 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Edgefield County Dispatch received a call regarding a tree down on Key Rd. Time estimated by radar.
Edgefield County Dispatch received a call about a tree down on Penn St in the town of Edgefield. Time estimated by radar.
A relatively long-lived EF-0 tornado with peak winds of 75 mph began near Old Hilton Rd east of Chapin and moved northeast causing sporadic EF-0 tree damage crossing I-26 and Bush Mill Road. The tornado continued northeast, causing more tree damage along Wash Lever Rd and Muddy Ford Rd before moving over the Broad River and into Fairfield County.
SCDPS website reported a tree fell over Three Dog Rd near the intersection of Peace Haven Rd. Time estimated by radar.
SCDPS website reported a fallen tree in the roadway at the intersection of Parr Rd and Broad River Rd. Time estimated by radar.
An EF-0 tornado with peak winds of 75 mph that began near Old Hilton Rd east of Chapin in Richland County continued into Fairfield County after crossing the Broad River near Wateree Creek. The tornado moved generally northeast likely causing damage in an inaccessible area north of the river. Additional tree damage began again along Highway 215. The tornado began turning more easterly, causing additional tree damage near Landis Rd and Highway 269 before dissipating.
An EF-0 tornado with 80 mph peak winds began near Highway 269 and Mockingbird Ln where it snapped a few limbs. The tornado continued east crossing Bundrick Rd, snapping large limbs, uprooting a tree, and caused minor shingle damage to a home. The tornado crossed Greenbrier Mossydale Rd, High Hill Rd, and West Peach Rd, causing additional minor tree damage and some minor shingle damage to a couple of homes. It then shifted northeast, crossing Highway 321 where minor tree damage occurred before dissipating.
An EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 95 mph began just north of a manufacturing plant on Highway 321 and Guardian Way where it overturned four empty trailers and snapped multiple utility poles. The tornado moved east across Highway 321, where it collapsed a large garage door on the east side of a food plant then snapped numerous trees along Industrial Park Rd. The tornado moved across Highway 34E, snapping several trees and power poles near a medical manufacturer, before moving through an inaccessible wooded area and eventually crossing Horse Creek Rd and dissipating.
Trained spotter reported Highway 34 was shut down with power lines on the road in the Simpson Community. Time estimated by radar. Location also estimated.
SCEMD employee relayed information from Fairfield County Dispatch of multiple closed roads closed due to downed trees, specifically around 303 Palmetto Ave in Winnsboro. Time estimated by radar.
SCDPS website reported power lines down near the intersection of Longtown Rd and Palmer St in downtown Ridgeway. Time estimated by radar.
Kershaw County Dispatch received reports of several trees down around the town of Lugoff. Time estimated by radar.
Lancaster County Emergency Management reported multiple trees down across the Lancaster/Kershaw County line through the Rich Hill area. Time estimated by radar.
SC Highway Patrol reported multiple trees down near the I-20 and Route 15 interchange.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for South Carolina, 2024Warnings in South Carolina, December 2024
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: 1221767, 1221768, 1221822, 1221826, 1221770, 1221823, 1221824, 1221825, 1221827, 1221828, 1221829, 1221830, 1221831, 1221769.