Tornado watch issued for much of Midlands and Upstate areas of South Carolina

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch Sunday for much of the Midlands and Upstate areas of South Carolina.

The watch was issued around 1 p.m. and includes parts of Georgia along with two-dozen South Carolina counties, among them Richland, Lexington, Greenville, Spartanburg and York counties.

Much of South Carolina is under a slight risk for severe thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said Sunday morning. That’s just above the lowest risk level of marginal and includes the possibility for short-lived and/or not widespread isolated intense storms.

The greatest threat from the low-pressure system will be strong damaging winds and a risk of isolated tornadoes, said Chris Rohrbach, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia. Severe wind gusts could reach 60 mph or more, Rohrbach said.

“The severe weather will continue into the early evening for the central portion of South Carolina, including the Upstate,” he said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.