Strong upper trough moving into the area with limited instability trigged convection during the mid morning hours resulting in isolated severe storms with mainly wind damage reports.
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.
Strong upper trough moving into the area with limited instability trigged convection during the mid morning hours resulting in isolated severe storms with mainly wind damage reports.
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 16, 5:48 AM EST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Columbia SC
648 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026
.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Aviation section updated for 12z TAFs.
&&
.KEY MESSAGES...
- 1. A significant severe weather event is expected today, with
destructive wind gusts (75+ mph) and strong tornadoes (EF2+)
possible as a line of storms pushes through the area. A
Moderate Risk (4/5) of severe weather exists for part of the
area, with the rest of the area in an Enhanced Risk (3/5).
- 2: A Freeze Warning is in effect tonight into Tuesday
morning, mainly along/north of I-20. A Freeze Watch is in
effect Tuesday night into Wednesday morning with a hard freeze
possible.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1: A significant severe weather event is expected today, with
destructive wind gusts (75+ mph) and strong tornadoes (EF2+)
possible as a line of storms pushes through the area. A Moderate
Risk (4/5) of severe weather exists for part of the area, with
the rest of the area in an Enhanced Risk (3/5).
Powerful synoptic scale system is approaching the forecast area
from the west, with warm and moisture rich air in place and
approaching the area from the west. A long lived and intense
QLCS is currently moving east-northeastward along the cold front
as it pushes towards the area. This is all being driven by a
robust & deep 500 hPa trough, currently centered across the
upper MS Valley region with a trough axis extending southward
from there. A secondary shortwave is digging through Oklahoma
and Arkansas per WV imagery, which will help this trough take on
a negative tilt over the next 12 hours or so. The setup for
severe thunderstorms across our area today is robust. A broad
reservoir of instability exists ahead of the front across the
deep south, forecast to advect north and eastward across our
area by mid-morning. This parameter spaces, when combined with
the intense synoptic scale forcing, is favorable for widespread
damaging wind gusts and tornadoes. RRFS/HRRR soundings in
advance of this are impressive, with >1000 j/kg of MLCAPE, >100
j/kg 3km CAPE, 0-500m SRH 150-200 m2/s2, 35 knots of 3km shear,
etc. Additionally, HRRR and RRFS guidance has been consistent in
showing discrete or semi-discrete supercells developing ahead
of the QLCS later tonight & merging with the line itself as it
approaches the area after 9a. This would suggest potentially
higher chances for QLCS tornadoes given the environment. All of
this is quite favorable for a significant severe weather event
across the forecast area. SPC has maintained an Enhanced (Level
3/5) and Moderate (Level 4/5) Risk for damaging winds and
tornadoes today. Please have multiple ways to get warnings today
as the storms will be moving rapidly through the forecast area!
Outside of the severe thunderstorms, strong non-thunderstorms winds
are expected. The pressure gradient is already ramping up across the
area with winds gusting above 25 mph already here at CAE. These
gusts should frequently increase into the 30-35 mph range, with
occasional gusts up to 40-45 mph. The front should move through
sometime in early to mid afternoon, dropping temperatures 10F-20F
quickly behind the front.
KEY MESSAGE 2: A Freeze Warning is in effect tonight into
Tuesday morning, mainly along/north of I-20. A Freeze Watch is
in effect Tuesday night into Wednesday morning with a hard
freeze possible.
The robust cold front is entering northern Alabama as of
writing this, hallmarked by the nearly 20F temperature gradient
across it from NE Alabama to northern Mississippi. This very
impressive front is expected to move through the FA this
afternoon, quickly dropping temperatures as flow becomes
increasingly westerly to northwesterly. Skies should gradually
clear behind it with strong CAA on the order of 2-6 C/hr pushing
in. This should allow temperatures to fall into the low to mid
30s tonight with some northern spots potentially dipping into
the upper 20s. While lingering uncertainty exists mainly for the
eastern Midlands due to less residence time under the strong
CAA and surface winds that look to remain a bit stronger from
the departing front, confidence has increased in sub-freezing
temperatures mainly along and north of the I-20 corridor. The
latest HREF probabilities for sub-freezing temperatures in this
area have peaked around 60-80% with similar values in NBM
guidance. Due to this, the Freeze Watch has been upgraded to a
Freeze Warning from 4 AM to 10AM Tuesday morning. There is
potential this may needed to be expanded to the remainder of the
FA, but with greater uncertainty in the eastern Midlands, have
held off at this time.
High confidence in widespread sub-freezing temperatures exists
Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning as arctic high pressure
moves overhead with near ideal radiational cooling expected.
The latest probabilities for sub-freezing temperatures in
blended guidance is now reaching 70-90% across the whole FA
where the northern Midlands and Pee Dee could drop toward
26-29F. Due to this, another Freeze Watch is in effect Tuesday
night into Wednesday morning across the FA, which will likely be
upgraded to a Freeze Warning in coming forecast packages. There
is potential for a hard freeze across the area, especially
across northern spots so be sure to take appropriate measures
for sensitive outdoor plants. One last night with temperatures
in the low to mid 30s will be possible Wednesday night into
Thursday, but confidence in widespread sub- freezing
temperatures is low at this time, so stay tuned for any
Frost/Freeze products that could be needed.
&&
.AVIATION /12Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
MVFR ceilings this morning ahead of a line of thunderstorms that
will push through in coming hours. Gusty winds likely most of
the TAF period.
The strong line of convection is now entering the Upstate with
scattered storms south of it nearing AGS/DNL. The forecast
remains largely on track for the biggest impacts from the main
line of convection to move through the Augusta terminals
between 13-15z, the Columbia terminals between 14-16z, and OGB
between 15-17z where the impacts should be IFR visibilities and
erratic gusts exceeding 40 kts. Ahead of this line of
convection, breezy southwesterly winds gusting up to 25-30 kts
will be possible with MVFR ceilings. These strong southerly
winds will continue to gust up to 30 kts through the morning
before turning more westerly to west-northwesterly this
afternoon as the robust front moves through the area. Majority
of any thunderstorm/shower activity should clear the terminals
by 19-21z with MVFR ceilings expected to begin clearing by then
as well. Westerly winds slowly decay overnight and into Tuesday
morning, though gusts to 20-25 kts may linger across the area
much of the night. Skies gradually clear into Tuesday morning
with VFR conditions expected.
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK... A return to VFR conditions is
anticipated for Tuesday onward with decaying winds.
&&
.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...Lake Wind Advisory until 2 AM EDT Tuesday for SCZ016-018-
020>022-025>031-035-037-038-041-115-116-135>137.
Freeze Warning from 4 AM to 10 AM EDT Tuesday for SCZ018-
020>022-025>028-030-035-115-116.
Freeze Watch from late Tuesday night through Wednesday morning
for SCZ016-018-020>022-025>031-035-037-038-041-115-116-
135>137.
GA...Lake Wind Advisory until 2 AM EDT Tuesday for GAZ040-063>065-
077.
Freeze Warning from 4 AM to 10 AM EDT Tuesday for GAZ040-
063>065-077.
Freeze Watch from late Tuesday night through Wednesday morning
for GAZ040-063>065-077.
&&
DISCUSSION...DH/PL
AVIATION...DHThe Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:59 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
DOT in Burke County reported trees down on Craig Rd near Winter Rd. Time estimated by radar.
McDuffie County dispatch reported trees down along 1-20 near mile marker 169. Time estimated by radar.
DOT in Burke County reported trees down on Scarlett Oaks Dr. Time estimated by radar.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, March 2026
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: 1319811, 1319812, 1319813.