Latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Midlands

Columbia, SC (WACH) --- Strong to severe thunderstorms have been hammering the Midlands all afternoon.  These storms are associated with a frontal boundary that has stalled out over the area.

The heavy rains caused flooding in some areas and knocked out power for thousands of Midlands residents.

As of 9:00 Tuesday evening, there were more than 1,500 power outages in Lexington County and more than 4,000 in Richland County.

Also, crews had to block off part of Whaley Street Tuesday evening because the road was flooded.

With the heating of the day and the front overhead, the atmosphere was supportive of storm development.  Although the severe threat will diminish after sunset, and rain thunder will remain a possibility overnight.

For the latest on these severe storms visit the severe weather page of our website.