Lightning bolts cause problems across area

HANAHAN -- A lightning blast seared through a television cable into a laptop computer and burned a woman in her bedroom Monday. The blast was so strong that it left on her ear an impression of the screen of a Blackberry device she was listening to.

The 22-year-old woman was transported to Trident Medical Center after the afternoon strike. She wasn't badly hurt but was shook up, said Capt. Brad Shipman, of Hanahan Fire Department. The Mabeline Road strike was one of two bolts to cause trouble in Hanahan as a series of powerful thunderstorms swept the Lowcountry in the middle of a steaming hot day. Firefighters also put out a lightning fire in a tree on Old Point Road.

The punishing heat continues today and another round of afternoon thunderstorms might pop up. The high might reach the mid-90s and the heat index might reach 110 degrees, according to National Weather Service, Charleston, and Accu- Weather.com forecasters. The weather service issued a heat advisory for much of South Carolina's southern coast today. The heat follows a high of 99 degrees at Charleston International Airport that tied a record high for the date.

Cloud cover left over from Monday's storms might provide a small break.

"If we can hold onto the clouds, it might be a little cooler than that," said meteorologist John Quagliariello, with the weather service.

The storms Monday were estimated to have packed more than 60 mph winds in spots. Heavy rain and flooding was reported in spots. Among other storm problems, dime-size hail was reported in Crowfield Plantation in Goose Creek. Fires broke out in a structure in Cainhoy in Berkeley County and at a residence on College Park Road near Ladson. Trees were blown across roads in Goose Creek and near Honey Hill in rural Berkeley County.

A lightning strike in the Lakes of Summerville subdivision left a mark on the wall and a burned spot in the carpet, but caused only minor damage, said Summerville Fire Department Battalion Chief Anthony Mire.

Power outages were reported on Johns Island and in West Ashley. False fire alarms and problems with traffic lights and transformers were widespread.

Meteorologist Jonathan Lamb, with the weather service, said the heat is the result of a high-pressure system that has been lingering over the East Coast for two weeks.

The system's presence has resulted in more than 20 days of 90-plus degree weather for the month of July alone. And the heat wave will last at least another week, Lamb said.

At Medical University Hospital's emergency room, the heat is swelling the ranks of patients coming through its doors.

Brad Presley, the chief emergency medical resident, said everyone from tourists to people working outdoors are being affected.

He said this summer, though not bringing abnormally high numbers of patients through the ER, has been worse than last year's.

"It's a bad year," he said.

Even the horses that guide Charleston's visitors on tours have been sidelined by the high temperatures. Charleston's city code states that horses have to be removed from service if temperatures exceed 98 degrees. David Gwynne-Vaughan, the operations manager for Palmetto Carriage Works, said the company pulled its horses off the streets Monday, marking the third time the company has had to do so this year.

He added that today's heat breaks are "par for the course" during July, but tourists who have not already fled the heat are understanding.

"When it gets this hot, people don't want to go anywhere," Gwynne-Vaughan said.