KA-BOOM! Thunderstorms should be isolated and short-lived

Image by TheDigitel compilation / SC Deparment of TransportationImage by 20080806storm.jpg 15 minutes after the rain started it was gone from downtown. Then it was back, and gone again.

If you were downtown you heard the crack and boom as the sky opened. These storms should be infrequent, isolated and short-lived. Keyword there is "should" though.

Some useful links:
- Weather map
- View a map of rainfall in the last hour
- Report a power outage: 1-888-333-4465 (streetlights and outdoor lighting: 1-800-251-7234)
- SCE&G's mobile Web page
- SCE&G's storm tips
- Area traffic cameras

Food for thought for you afternoon commute.

We're pretty far from high tide so any flooding should be brief.

The National Weather Service says:
ISOLATED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE SEA BREEZE/LOCALIZED AREAS OF CONVERGENCE WILL DISSIPATE THIS EVENING. WITH STRONG INSTABILITY...CANNOT RULE OUT AND ISOLATED PULSE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY EVENING...HOWEVER...MOST DEEP MOIST UPDRAFTS WILL DEVELOP AND COLLAPSE QUICKLY.

When the rain hit it was 98 degrees with a feel of 107. So expect it to be cooler but muggy after the rain lets up.

Update 4:56 p.m.: The storm pocket seems to have formed right on top of the peninsula. Traffic cams show rain falling hardly anywhere else.

Also, beware of hail.

We'll keep you posted.

Update 5:25 p.m.: And it looks like the storm's pushed out.

Clear skies near the Ravenel Bridge
Ah. Clear skies.