COLUMBIA, S.C. — The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down near Lake Murray Tuesday afternoon.
The weather service says the funnel touched down about 3:50 p.m. near Dreher Island State Park. There are reports of some damage in that area, including downed power lines and trees.
A tornado warning was in effect at that time.
As a reminder, a tornado warning means a tornado has been indicated by radar or observed on the ground. That's different from a tornado watch, which just means conditions are favorable for a storm to develop.
An earlier tornado warning was issued for Lexington and Saluda Counties and while it was observed on radar, it's unclear if a funnel actual touched the ground and caused damage in that one.
Video: Tornado along Lake Murray South Carolina
The instability throughout the Southeast was caused by Tropical Storm Fred, which pushed through the Florida panhandle and Alabama.
Elsewhere in the tropics, there are no immediate threats to the southeast coast for the next week. Tropical Storm Henri will meander near Bermuda in the Central Atlantic for the next 5 days as it curves away from the United States. Rough surf is possible along the coast through the weekend, but this storm will not have any direct impacts for the east coast.
Tropical Storm Grace continues to regain strength in the northern Caribbean. Heavy rain is now moving out of Haiti and into Cuba, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. The Yucatan Peninsula is in Grace’s path for the end of this week where hurricane conditions are possible for spots like Cozumel and Cancun. The storm may strengthen into a Hurricane, but currently is expected to stay south of Texas and instead make a landfall in northern or central Mexico this weekend.
