ByPatrick Phillips | April 20, 2020 at 2:40 AM EDT - Updated April 20 at 9:15 AM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The National Weather Service canceled a tornado watch hours early after the most powerful storms that prompted the watch early Monday morning moved off the coast.
"A lot of this energy is now well to the south and offshore," Live 5 Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said.
That offshore system had produced nearly 1,400 lightning strikes off the coast.
Some of the rain Sunday night and early Monday appear to have helped reduce the threat, Live 5 Meteorologist Joey Sovine said.
Early Monday morning, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Charleston, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper Counties which was to have been in effect until 11 a.m. The watch was canceled shortly before 7 a.m.
Edisto Electric Cooperative reported 776 power failures in Dorchester County. Berkeley Electric Coop reported 38 outages in Berkeley County, while Dominion Energy reported fewer than a dozen statewide.
The Lowcountry is under an “enhanced risk,” the third of five risk levels, for severe weather into early Monday morning.
The storm threat ends by noon or earlier on Monday, leaving behind calm conditions through Monday evening.
The Live 5 weather team declared Sunday and Monday as First Alert Weather Days late last week because of the potential for another round of severe weather.
The Lowcountry will begin drying out Monday afternoon and plenty of sunshine will return Tuesday. More severe storms will be possible Thursday as another strong storm system impacts the area.
Some parts of the Lowcountry are still recovering from Monday’s storms.The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 20 tornadoes touched downacross South Carolina that morning.
The storms were blamed for nine deaths, including five in Hampton County and one in Colleton County.
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Photo: Live 5 News