Widespread power outages across the Midlands
Severe thunderstorms struck South Carolina on the evening of Saturday, June 7, unleashing destructive wind gusts between 60 and 70 MPH (circa 96 to 113 km/h) across the Midlands region. As a result, a massive number of residents were left without electricity, with the worst-hit zones including Lake Murray and Winnsboro.
By 9:50 p.m., Dominion Energy reported that nearly 142,000 customers were affected by the outages. Just five minutes later, the figure had dropped dramatically to 47,000 customers, spread across 447 separate incidents, indicating ongoing repair operations.
Primary cause: Thunderstorm-driven tree damage
According to Dominion Energy spokespersons, the primary cause of the outages was trees and limbs falling onto power lines, a frequent issue during violent thunderstorms. The strong straight-line winds likely intensified the problem, toppling vegetation throughout the affected counties.
Repair crews were already active from the onset of the first outage and have committed to working through the night to restore service to all customers.
Timeline of storm activity and forecast update
Radar observations indicate that storm conditions began tapering off by 11:00 p.m., with the system clearing eastward shortly after midnight. As skies stabilized overnight, conditions across Columbia and surrounding areas are expected to remain calmer into Sunday morning, although isolated debris and damage may still present hazards in impacted neighborhoods.
Stay alert for updates from local emergency services and Dominion Energy, and exercise caution if navigating affected areas.
