News Summary
Severe weather, including wind gusts of 60-70 MPH, has left over 145,000 customers in South Carolina without power. Areas like Lake Murray and Winnsboro were heavily impacted. Dominion Energy is actively working to restore power, with falling trees and limbs being the primary cause of the outages. As restoration efforts continue, residents are reminded to stay alert to weather updates and avoid non-emergency calls to 911.
Columbia, SC – Severe Weather Leaves Over 145,000 Customers Without Power
Severe weather in the Midlands of South Carolina caused wind gusts reaching between 60 to 70 MPH, which led to widespread power outages affecting more than 145,000 customers across the region.
As of 9:50 p.m., approximately 142,000 customers were reported without power according to Dominion Energy’s outage map. Just five minutes later, this number dropped significantly to 47,000 as power restoration efforts were underway, although 447 incidents of outages were reported at that time. Areas such as Lake Murray and Winnsboro were particularly hard hit.
A spokesperson for Dominion Energy indicated that these outages are likely connected to thunderstorms that have been sweeping through the area. Teams have been actively engaged in restoring power since the first reports of outages and will continue to work through the night to restore service.
Main Causes of Outages
Dominion Energy attributed the primary cause of outages during these storms to falling trees and limbs that come into contact with power lines. As restoration crews continue their efforts, they remind residents that they should only call 911 for emergencies and not for power restoration inquiries.
Power Outage Numbers
According to Poweroutage.us, the most affected regions include:
- Lexington County: 34,989 residents without power
- Saluda County: 8,567 residents affected
- Richland County: 17,490 customers without power
- Fairfield County: 1,978 residents affected
The total number of customers still without power at 10:30 p.m. had risen to 47,678 from Dominion Energy and an additional 45,339 customers were without power from Duke Energy.
Impact of Tornadoes and Downbursts
In Newberry County, there are reports of either a tornado or a significant downburst, according to local emergency officials. This additional severe weather event may have contributed to the damage and power outages experienced in that area.
Efforts to Restore Power
Emergency services, the Department of Transportation, and power crews are all actively working to restore power to the affected areas. Conditions in the region are expected to improve on radar by around 11 PM to midnight as storms are predicted to move eastward. However, the National Weather Service has cautioned that additional severe weather threats may emerge over the coming days.
Residents are advised to stay alert for updates regarding weather conditions and to take necessary precautions until full power is restored across the region.
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Additional Resources
- ABC Columbia
- WIS TV
- Columbia Missourian
- The State
- KOMU
- Wikipedia: Severe Weather
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Severe Weather
- Google Search: Power Outages Midlands
- Google News: Midlands Weather
- The Weather Channel
Author: STAFF HERE LEXINGTON WRITER
The LEXINGTON STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HERELexington.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Lexington, Fayette County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Woodland Art Fair, Crave Food and Music Festival, and Railbird Festival. Our coverage extends to key organizations like Commerce Lexington and Blue Grass Community Foundation, plus leading businesses in education, manufacturing, and technology that power the local economy such as University of Kentucky, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, and Lexmark. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREBowlingGreen.com and HERELouisville.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Kentucky's dynamic landscape.
