COLUMBIA, S.C. - Tropical Storm Frances came onshore hundreds of miles away from South Carolina, but the storm still lashed parts of the state Monday.

Heavy rains fell throughout the Lowcountry as several weak tornados were reported in Beaufort County, according to the National Weather Service.

It is just the beginning. As the storm slowly moves through the Florida Panhandle and into eastern Alabama and western Georgia, the flooding rains and the chance for more tornados will spread north and west across South Carolina.

The track is one of the worst scenarios for a good part of the state, said Scott Krentz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Greer office.

"Not only are we getting the tropical storm's moisture and rain, it's going to drag moisture in off the Atlantic, Krentz said.

It could be early Thursday before Frances completely clears out, Krentz said.

The worst weather for most of Monday was confined to the Lowcountry. Several counties were put under tornado warnings as spiral bands from Frances moved onshore.

The weather service had not confirmed several reports of tornados or funnel clouds from Hilton Head Island to Beaufort. No damage was immediately reported, said Steve Wilkinson, meteorologist in the weather service's Charleston office.

The storm also is expected to bring flooding rains. In the Lowcountry 3 to 5 inches of rain could fall in areas already saturated last weekend from Tropical Storm Gaston. The Midlands and Pee Dee could see similar amounts, forecasters say.

The heaviest rains could come in the Upstate. Forecasters predict as much as 6 inches of rain and warn that storms with similar tracks have dumped up to 10 inches of rain in the area.

Flood watches were issued for the Upstate and Lowcountry.

It's already been a summer of flooding in some parts of the state. A sudden rainstorm dumped up to 8 inches of over the headwaters of the Reedy River in July and caused the second-highest flood ever recorded near downtown Greenville.

Gaston's slow-moving rains last weekend caused record flooding along Black Creek in Florence County, sending water into several homes near Quinby, according to the weather service. Parts of Williamsburg County also were hard-hit.

The rain Monday didn't stop people who fled Florida from trying to get back to their homes. Interstate 95 heading south near the Georgia state line was bumper-to-bumper Monday afternoon, with passenger cars mixing in with utility trucks trying to make it down to help restore power.

And South Carolina still might not be done with tropical weather. Hurricane Ivan and its Category 2 winds are about 2,000 from Charleston. The five-day forecast calls for the storm to be a weak hurricane between Cuba and the Bahamas Saturday afternoon.

"We'll try to get through this one before we start to worry about the next one," Wilkinson said from his Charleston office. "We'd just like a nice sunny weekend."