Wind gusts up to 70 mph and widespread power outages
On the evening of Sunday, June 8, powerful thunderstorms swept through the heart of the South Carolina Midlands, bringing wind gusts between 60 and 70 mph (96–113 km/h). The severe weather knocked out power to nearly 142,000 Dominion Energy customers as of 9:50 p.m. local time.
Sharp drop in outages within minutes
Just five minutes later, the number of customers without electricity dropped to 47,000, with 447 incidents reported on Dominion’s official outage map. The hardest-hit areas included Lake Murray and Winnsboro, where downed lines caused major disruptions.
Main cause: trees and limbs down on power lines
A Dominion Energy spokesperson confirmed the outages were likely thunderstorm-related, with fallen trees and branches being the number one cause of storm-time outages.
Crews working overnight to restore power
Response teams were dispatched as soon as the first outage occurred and will continue working through the night until every customer has power restored.
Conditions expected to improve by midnight
Radar projections indicate that storm activity should subside by 11 p.m. to midnight, as the system moves eastward. Residents are encouraged to stay informed and alert as the situation develops.
