COLUMBIA, S.C. — Severe storms moved through Newberry county and downtown Newberry Saturday evening, causing wind and hail damage across the area. The National Weather Service office of Columbia conducted a survey of the area on Monday. They concluded that straight-line downburst winds caused the widespread damage.
Wind speed estimates for the straight-line wind from the storms are 85 to 95 mph. Hail was also a concern, with pea to penny sized hail partially covering the ground according to storm damage reports.
The extreme winds and damage spanned about 3.5 miles with a maximum width of 1000 yards. Damage was reported from Newberry, Prosperity, down to Lake Murray.
As the storms pushed southeast they uprooted trees and knocked over power lines, causing power outages for thousands of people across the county. A few people were trapped in their houses for a short period of time, but thankfully no injuries or deaths were reported. Much of the damage occurred in downtown Newberry.
According to the National Weather Service, a downburst is a strong downdraft which causes damaging winds on or near the ground. As cold air descends from the storm along with heavy precipitation, the wind is forced outwards as it runs into the ground, causing these damaging winds. Wind speeds can be upwards of 160 mph with some downbursts, creating destruction comparable to that seen with tornadoes.
While straight-line winds and downbursts are often confused with tornadoes, the damage path and pattern they leave behind are actually quite different. Tornado damage typically shows a circular pattern as air converges into the tornado and storm. Straight-line winds and downbursts, on the other hand, have more of a divergent pattern to the damage.