HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) -- National Weather Service officials surveying storm damage in the Socasatee area Monday morning said they think a tornado with 90 mph winds first touched down in an area near Tyner Street.
NWS officials reached their preliminary conclusion after talking to a resident who provided them with an eyewitness account of what happened and what he experienced. Officials planned to visit other damage sites in Horry County to survey damage from Sunday's afternoon storm, which caused wind and flooding damage throughout the Grand Strand.
Breezy conditions remained early Monday morning, but Horry County Fire Rescue said that flooding remained an issue and that crews were "still running calls involving vehicles underway."
Flood warnings continue for the Waccamaw River near Conway and the Little Pee Dee River near Galivants Ferry, according to Horry County Emergency Management officials. The Waccamaw River near Conway water level was still rising Monday morning but expected to crest later in the day at 12 feet, which is at moderate flood stage.
The water level at the Little Pee Dee River near Galivants Ferry is forecast to slowly rise into minor flood stage Tuesday, officials said.
The storm dumped heavy rain and caused coastal and inland flooding all along the Grand Strand from Georgetown to North Myrtle Beach. A tornado spawned by the storm was reported in the Socastee and Forestbrook areas at about 1:20 p.m. Sunday, just moments before National Weather Service officials issued a warning for the Horry County area.
Trees fell on numerous homes across the region, and the Waccamaw Mall in the Fantasy Harbour area was heavily damaged by the wind, which also blew over at least one 18-wheeler on Waccamaw Boulevard and damaged several other vehicles and at a nearby UPS facility.
More than 30,000 Santee Cooper and Horry Electric Cooperative customers were without power at the height of the storm, but as of early Monday morning service had been restored to all but a handful of customers.
Meanwhile, city of Conway officials declared OPCON 1 status, the highest emergency status, late Sunday afternoon, and Horry and Georgetown county schools also switched to an eLearning schedule for Monday because of the storm.
This is a developing story. Count on News13 for continued coverage.
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