Power Outage in Bennettsville, SC

Wind gusts ranged from 40 to 50 mph across the county. These winds resulted in scattered downed trees and power lines. Over 1,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm.

Call center reported multiple trees and power lines down in Bennettsville.

The Utility Company reported trees down on power lines near Currie Road and SC-9 west of Minturn, SC. Damage to electrical equipment led to an estimated 175 power outages.

Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and strong winds. Rainfall amounts were high, with over eight inches of rain reported. Tropical storm force winds and flooded ground caused widespread tree and power line damage. The town of Clio was completely isolated during the height of the storm due to trees blocking all roads leading to and from town. Moderate widespread flooding was reported due to the heavy rain, especially near creeks and streams. Numerous road closures were observed. A train derailed in Wallace as a result of a washout. Residents in low lying areas of Shady Rest and Richardson Park in Bennettsville required evacuations. Marlboro County Emergency Management estimated more than 1 million dollars in damage across the county due to the storm.

Trees and powerlines were down at the intersection of Laurin Willis Rd and Hwy 83.

Powerlines were down one mile west northwest of Hebron.

Trees and powerlines down on Gordon Street. There were also reports of trees and powerlines down at the intersection of Salem Rd and Caulder Rd.

Even though only fifteen hundredths of an inch of freezing rain was reported, there were five homes with trees on them and multiple reports of trees down across the county. A third of the county had long term power outages.

Ice accumulations around the county ranged from a tenth of an inch over the southern portion, to around a quarter inch over the northern portion. There were multiple trees down across the county, with numerous power outages.

Power lines were reported down near the intersection of Chelsea Lane and Highway 381.

A mixture of snow and sleet began falling the afternoon of Jan 28th, changed over to mostly snow in the overnight hours, and tapered off to flurries the morning of the 29th. Total snow and sleet accumulations ranged from three to four inches. Due to the nature of the precipitation, power outages were isolated, however driving was treacherous. Numerous traffic accidents were reported as well as injuries due to slips and falls.

A tree was reportedly down across a power line on Highway 385.

A large tree was reported down and blocking the road near the intersection of Highway 385 and Academy Road. Widespread power outages were reported in Bennettsville as a result of the continuous cloud to ground lightning which accompanied the severe thunderstorm.

Numerous trees and power lines were reported down near the intersection of Aaron Temple Church Road and Old Wire Road.

A large tree was reported down on power lines on Breeden Street.

A mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain fell over much of the area. South Carolina received mainly sleet and freezing rain, with most places picking up about a half inch of frozen precipitation. Darlington county received three quarters of an inch of ice and sleet, with many power outages due to trees and power lines down. Counties near the coast received about a quarter inch of freezing rain, mainly in the trees and on grassy and metal surfaces.

Gaston made landfall the morning of the 29th as a tropical storm in Charlestown county SC. The storm moved north, through Georgetown, Williamsburg, and Florence counties. Gaston weakened to a tropical depression that night as it moved into Marion county and the remnants moved to Dillon county the morning of the 30th. Rainfall was the main element of the storm, with the heaviest swath of precipitation from Williamsburg county, through Florence and Darlington counties. Around five inches of rainfall on average occurred in this area with over ten inches of rain in the Kingstree area in Williamsburg county. Flash flooding was reported in Lake City and in Darlington during the late afternoon and evening. Many roads were flooded and closed in Kingstree, Greeleyville, and Hemingway. Front street in Georgetown was also closed. A tornado watch was issued, with one confirmed tornado near Wallace in Marlboro county. In North Carolina, rainfall ranged from around an inch near the coast, to near five inches in Robeson county, with street flooding. The winds associated with Gaston were not much of a factor, with the peak wind of 58 mph recorded at the Springmaid pier in Myrtle Beach. There were numerous limbs down, with some minor power outages. There was minor beach erosion reported at Bald Head Island and on the east side of Ocean Isle Beach. The effects of Gaston were felt weeks after, with widespread river flooding over the entire area. The Lumber river at Lumberton had record flooding, with a crest nearly eight feet above flood stage. There were several evacuations of homes in the Quinby area, and some flooding of farmlands in Pee Dee.

A cold front moved rapidly across the area, with high winds behind the front. There were numerous reports of trees down, with most areas receiving wind gusts around 60 mph as the cold front moved through. Over 25,000 people were without power due to breaking limbs falling on power lines. There was major damage to a building in Conway, with three quarters of the roof peeled back. The high winds only lasted an hour or less over much of the area as the cold front pushed rapidly offshore.

Rain began falling in the early morning, freezing mainly to trees, power lines, and metal surfaces. The heaviest ice occurred in Marion county, where as much as a half inch of ice accumulation was reported on trees. There was little damage. The remainder of the area received less than a quarter inch.

Another episode of frozen precipitation occurred on the heels of the storm of January 25th, bringing more freezing rain and sleet to areas that already had over a quarter inch of ice still in the trees. The total ice accumulations ranged from a trace near the coast to as much as three quarters of an inch over interior sections. The weight of the ice caused major power outages from falling limbs, as well as significant structural damage to many homes. The state declared a forest disaster for the first time in two years. There was some ice accumulations on the roads, especially on bridges and overpasses, with numerous traffic accidents reported. Many residences were without power for over a week. Monetary damages totaled into the millions per county in some parts of South Carolina, due to cleanup of debris, utility expenses, and home repair.

Freezing rain began falling over the area the morning of Jan 25th, with ice accumulations reaching a quarter of an inch by the afternoon. Tree limbs snapped from the weight of the ice, causing widespread power outages. Much of the monetary damages were due to debris removal and utility company expenses. Many homes were also damaged when the tree limbs fell on them.

Snow fell over most of northeast South Carolina, with between a half inch to near 2 inches reported by spotters, coop observers and law enforcement. The snowstorm caused most business to close, and all school districts decided to close their doors for the day. Damages were a result of traffic accidents, with nearly 60 wrecks reported the northeast portion of the state. Record cold air plunged into the state that evening, causing numerous reports of frozen water pipes. The local electric company reported record power usage the following morning due to temperatures in the teens in most areas with wind chills near or below zero.

Around a tenth of an inch of frozen precipitation was observed, knocking down limbs and causing power outages. Only a few minor traffic accidents were noted. Strong high pressure over the mid-Atlantic fed a shallow layer of cold air across interior portions of the state. Low pressure formed over the Gulf coast, spreading moisture over the Carolinas. The result was freezing rain.

Low pressure formed in the Gulf of Mexico the morning of January 2nd and moved up the eastern seaboard. Moisture moved north, overrunning cold high pressure, setting up a wintery mix for North and South Carolina. The precipitation began as snow over South Carolina that afternoon, and expanded to include North Carolina later that afternoon. The precipitation changed to freezing rain and sleet, then to rain over coastal sections of North and South Carolina that evening and continued through the morning of January 3rd. The precipitation in the inland counties remained as a mix of freezing rain and sleet. As the the low pressure center continued to track north, cold air wrapped around the system, changing the precipitation back to all snow by midday on January 3rd, and continued until the snow tapered off by early morning on January 4th.The snowfall totals were heaviest over portions of Darlington, Marlboro, and Robeson counties, where between 6 to 8 inches fell, with some sleet mixed in. Counties further south and east, including Florence, Marion, Dillon, and Bladen counties received between 4 and 6 inches of snow, including between a half and an inch of freezing rain and sleet. Along coastal counties, between 1 and 3 inches of snow occurred, with around a half inch of sleet and freezing rain. There were numerous traffic accidents reported, although there was no information on injuries. In Florence county alone, emergency personnel reported 167 accidents, over double the normal amount. There were over 1500 traffic accidents reported in South Carolina alone. The freezing rain from the storm forced many trees and large branches to snap, causing numerous power outages around the area. More than 25,000 customers were without power in Horry, Georgetown, and Brunswick counties. Secondary roads in most areas proved treacherous, but road crews managed to keep highways and primary roads open. Many businesses and schools were closed on January 3rd and 4th, including 64,000 state workers.

Spotter reported trees down on power lines on Hickory Grove Road. A metal carport was also destroyed. A Bennettsville city administrator reported trees down on East Main Street, Breeden Heights, Crestview Street, and Kinney Circle.

Several upper level disturbances moved east across the Carolinas within a strongly unstable air mass with surface based CAPE values in excess of 3000 J/kg. The combination of wet downbursts and very moist antecedent soil conditions resulted in downed trees and power lines.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed in the morning in association with a frontal boundary and mid-level shortwave. Cell mergers and training resulted in significant flooding. A wet microburst reportedly knocked a tree onto a power line.