CONWAY - Severe weather caused by Tropical Storm Bonnie hit the Grand Strand on Thursday afternoon, causing at least three tornadoes, flooding and intense lightning.

Thunderstorms also hit Brunswick County, N.C., but no damage or flooding was reported.

The tornadoes were spotted just after 2 p.m. in the Conway area.

One was near Pitch Landing, one was near Pine Crest, and another touched down near Lake Busbee.

Land-fallen tropical storms or hurricanes often spawn tornadoes in this area, National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Keebler said. The tornadoes caused are usually numerous and weak, rarely causing serious damage, he said.

After being spotted near Conway, Horry County authorities reported that the tornadoes were moving towards Loris. The National Weather Service and local police have reported no injuries or damage caused by the tornadoes.

Some residents on U.S. 701 South saw one of the tornadoes and said it caused damage. Dix Singleton was outside when he saw a tornado coming toward him.

"You could see trees in the air. It was kind of a weird thing ... I got a pretty good look at it," Singleton said.

Singleton said the tornado caused damage to some storage buildings about 300 yards away from his home.

"It sucked the top right off and then it shot it up 1,000 feet," Singleton said.

Heavy rains brought flooding that shut down several Conway roads during the afternoon.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jessica Neiles said about 1 foot of water covered U.S. 501 and Culture Road and about 8 inches of water closed down a section of S.C. 701 between Conway and Loris.

Conway traffic was backed up in several places because of the flooding delays all afternoon. The water in many drainage ditches was close to being even with the roads around the Conway Medical Center.

About 3 more inches of rain were expected to fall during the night and into this morning.

Elsewhere in the state, authorities reported that a tornado splintered trees in Fairfield County and about 1,000 S.C. Electric and Gas customers in the Midlands were left temporarily without power.

Throughout the next few days, the weather likely will get worse as Hurricane Charley moves closer, Neiles said.

"This is all part of the same system," she said. "By the time Charley comes through, we may have some minor flood problems on our hands. We'll probably have some strong winds, too."

Severe weather from Charley is expected to hit the area Saturday with more rain and possibly winds up to 40 miles an hour, Neiles said.

Contact PHIL WATSON at 444-1761 or pwatson@thesunnews.com.