By Andrew Dys The Herald
(Published August 13‚ 2004)
As much as four inches of rain and gusting winds reaching 35 mph were expected early this morning as the remnants of Tropical Storm Bonnie churned into Upstate South Carolina.
Bonnie, downgraded to a tropical depression late Thursday as it moved into Georgia, follows a Thursday stormfront that dumped about an inch to 1.5 inches of rain in local areas and caused flood and tornado watches in York, Chester and Lancaster counties.
The forecast calls for rain continuing into Saturday and Sunday. The good news locally is Hurricane Charley -- expected to be a Category 3 storm when it hits Florida today -- is predicted to pass closer to the S.C. coast.
Still, the Rock Hill area could see another round of gusty winds and a half-inch of rain as Charley passes through on Saturday, said meteorologist Steve Burrus of the National Weather Service.
A flood watch remains in effect until noon today but could be extended, said Darren Player, Lancaster County emergency management assistant director. Lancaster County was forecasted to be in the middle of today's storm path, he said.
"We are at a point with our creeks right now where it looks like we can handle it," Player said. "If it all falls at once, or the storm stalls over us, that could change."
To prevent overflows, Duke Power on Thursday released water downstream from its Catawba River chain in North and South Carolina that includes Lake Wylie, said spokesman Tim Pettit. The lake and river should be able to resist flooding if the storms pass through as forecasted, he said.
Local pocket flooding is the bigger concern, said Cotton Howell, York County emergency management director. Emergency shelters are not expected to be required, Howell said, but can be opened if necessary. The area is ready to deal with emergency and motel housing needs of other residents from the coast if necessary, he said.
Emergency services, utility and public works providers planned Thursday for potential power outages and emergency action. Rock Hill Utilities Director Jimmy Bagley said some local flooding was likely and city crews cleaned problem storm drains Wednesday and Thursday. Normal tree-trimming maintenance through the year has lessened potential problems, both Pettit and Marc Howie of York Electric Cooperative said.
"If gusts stay between 30 and 40 mph, we are usually all right," Howie said.
Around the state, authorities reported a tornado splintered trees in Fairfield County while high water washed over a road and bridge in Greenville County on Thursday. The National Weather Service said more than a foot of water was standing at an inter on U.S. 501 -- one the main roads to South Carolina's Grand Strand.
Sporadic tornado warnings were issued, one resulting from a tornado that several people reported above a lake near Conway. There were no reports of damage, according to county emergency management officials.
Kershaw County emergency officials also reported mobile homes overturned in Cassatt from the storm.
The National Weather Service said the two tropical systems, although expected to move relatively quickly, could bring an additional 3 to 5 inches of rain to the state.
Andrew Dys •329-4065
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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