WEATHER ALERT DAY: Severe weather threat winding down as storms push offshore

UPDATE: A cold front is pushing through the area and will push the threat for severe storms off shore. The heavy rain and thunderstorms will move offshore through mid morning and we’ll clear out along the coast by noon. It will be breezy for the rest of the day with winds 20-30 mph. A Wind Advisory continues until 4 pm. Once the storms move off shore, we’ll be dry for the rest of the day with lots of sunshine. Temps will climb to the low to mid 80s this afternoon.

UPDATE: Tornado Watch issued for part of News13 viewing area

At 5:01 a.m on Monday, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, and Marion counties.

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A powerful storm system will approach the area from the west this morning and this will be the wave that will have the best potential for severe weather.

The storm prediction center has upgraded the severe weather threat into the “Enhanced” Risk for severe weather which is level 3 out of 5 threat. Heavy rain, strong winds and isolated tornadoes are all possible. Winds aloft will be gusting 50-70mph. Heavy rain alone could bring some of those winds down to the surface. The later in the day the storms take to get here the better chance our atmosphere will have to destabilize. This would bring a higher wind and tornado threat to the area.

The wind threat is at a 30% chance for damaging winds withing a 25 mile radius and the tornado threat is at a “hatched 10% within a 25mph radius. The hatched area in definition from the Storm Prediction Center means that there is a 10% chance or greater for an EF2-EF5 Tornado within a 25 mile radius of any given point.

Forecast models continue to show the line of storms moving through the area throughout the morning hours. This would give us a better chance for severe weather. Time frame for any severe weather would be from after 6am until Noon today.

In addition to the severe weather threat. Winds outside of should could gust 40-45mph throughout the morning and afternoon. So even once the storms move away we’ll continue to see high winds. Therefore, the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory from 4am until 4pm Monday.