Cars flooded, shops went dark and Gamecock baseball was put on hold Saturday afternoon when a thunderstorm plowed through Columbia.

“The stereo equipment dries out, the clothes I can rewash, but that’s going to be a pain,” said Brian Hensley, pointing at the engine block of his flooded-out Oldsmobile.

Hensley crawled out of a car window when floodwaters overtook his vehicle at Whaley and Main streets.

More than an inch of rain fell at Owens Field within a 45-minute period, according to the National Weather Service. About 3 inches of rain is believed to have fallen in the Five Points and downtown areas.

“It was mainly heavy rain,” said Richard Charnick, National Weather Service meteorologist.

A 40 percent chance of showers is forecast for today, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s.

Saturday’s showers developed around midafternoon. The storm moved east through Columbia and over Fort Jackson before dissipating.

About 20 wrecks occurred in a two-mile stretch of the westbound lanes of I-20 within a 90-minute period, said state Highway Patrol Cpl. J.R. Cribb.

Cribb said many of the wrecks were caused by drivers trying to drive in heavy rain with low visibility.

The wrecks resulted in at least seven people being transported to local hospitals, said George Rice, Richland County Emergency Services spokesman.

By 6:30 p.m., lightning from the storm knocked out power to about 6,000 SCE&G customers in Columbia, spokeswoman Jodie Roberts-Smith said.

Lightning also caused a two-story house fire in the Eau Claire area, said acting captain Brannon Taylor of the Columbia Fire Department.

The rain also caused a four-hour rain delay during the USC-East Carolina baseball game.

“I thought it would just be a quick shower and be gone,” spectator Chuck Darnell said. “I went home and changed clothes. I was soaked.”

Staff writers Rich Glickstein and Evan Woodbery contributed to this story. Reach Gonzales at (803) 771-8405 or jgonzales@thestate.com.