Heavy rain and flooding pose the greatest threats to the Columbia area, the National Weather Service said in a Wednesday morning briefing.
There is also the potential for isolated tornadoes, primarily in the eastern portion of the Midlands, according to a hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service.
"The biggest impact for the Midlands is the heavy rain potential," National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Rohrbach told The State.
The rain could begin as early as Wednesday morning, but the greatest impacts of the storm are expected at night and through Thursday, when there's a 90% chance of precipitation, according to the forecast. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through Thursday afternoon.
Between 2-4 inches of rain are possible in the Midlands, according to the briefing. Higher amounts of rainfall are possible in certain areas affected by storms.
The heavy rainfall could trigger flash flooding, especially in urban and low-lying areas, the National Weather Service said.
There's the potential for localized flooding from rain in Columbia, but in the area just east there's a greater chance of flooding, according to the briefing.
Rohrbach said it's still too early to tell if there will be issues with river flooding, and that will be determined by where the storm causes the most rainfall.
No warnings or watches have been issued for the Midlands. But both, and other advisories, remain a possibility, according to the National Weather Service.
Although the chances are low, there's a 20-30% possibility of tropical storm force winds in the Midlands, the briefing shows.
Winds have the potential to range from 39 to 57 mph in Columbia, according to the briefing. Like the rain, the most powerful winds caused by Elsa are predicted to occur at night and into Thursday morning, the National Weather Service said.
Powerful winds could cause considerable damage to trees and branches, which creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages.
As of Wednesday morning, the tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, with higher gusts recorded, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was about 55 miles south of Cedar Key, Florida but was moving north at about a 14 mph clip. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the center, the National Hurricane Center said.
Elsa, which was previously classified as a hurricane twice, will make landfall along the north Florida Gulf Coast by late morning before making a turn to the northeast in the afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is expected to weaken as it moves inland through the Southeast.
A tropical storm watch is in place for a portion of the coast of South Carolina and the Lowcountry, including Charleston, Colleton, Beaufort, Jasper and Berkeley counties, according to the state Emergency Management Division.
Elsa could be the second named storm of the 2021 hurricane season to impact the Palmetto State. At the end of June, Tropical Storm Danny rumbled through South Carolina.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
___
(c)2021 The State (Columbia, S.C.)
Visit The State (Columbia, S.C.) at www.thestate.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
