REGIONAL — Overturned trash cans, lawn chairs and Christmas decorations told this weather story well Wednesday afternoon.

Their comrades in arms fallen tree branches and limbs, blowing leaves and waving flags added to the tale.

The storm system that brought even more rain and additional severe weather in some locations of the Upstate on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning left in its wake a gusty, but warm wind which at times reached between 40-50 miles an hour prompting the National Weather Service to issue a high wind warning for all of the Upstate.

Damage reports came from areas south and east of Union County like Greenwood and Abbeville where a tornado warning was issued early Wednesday morning and wind whipped at trees and mobile homes. Numerous power outages also were reported in the same areas.

Nearly 3,000 customers of Duke Energy in Greenwood County — that bore the brunt of the heavier weather — were without power for several hours Wednesday. South Carolina Electric and Gas also reported about 150 customers who were in the dark for part of the day, mostly near the Columbia area.

Luckily, however, Union and Union County were spared again in this latest round of inclement weather. While winds were high and some areas reported more than an inch or two of rain from the storm system, according to one local official his workload Wednesday wasn’t much more than during the last storm.

“I haven’t had the first of any weather-related calls come in,” said City of Union Utility Director Joe Nichols.

He was anticipating some as he arrived at the office Wednesday morning because the wind and moist ground conditions which could combine to cause some incidents but said other than seeing a few people out picking up smaller, dead brush and tree materials in the Cherokee Avenue area there really were no problems.

“We really lucked out,” Nichols said.

He attributed some of that luck — as during the last storm system that moved through the area last week — to the city’s continued policy of clearing trees and tree limbs from rights of way. That work was in full swing, despite the wind, on Wednesday afternoon as crews were out in the East Main Street and surrounding areas cutting limbs from around power lines.

The wind calmed down Wednesday evening and left behind clearing skies. That trend looks to continue through Friday but then later that night the clouds will begin to build back in and there is a good chance for more rain on Saturday and Sunday.

According to the National Weather Service forecast for this weekend, rain chances will move in Saturday and persist through Sunday evening when conditions become mostly cloudy. That’s a change from the forecast models from earlier this week when meteorologists were thinking the Upstate might get a wintry mix on Saturday.

THE NEXT ROUND:

• According to forecast models, Union County and the rest of the Upstate should have a chance to dry out with sunny to partly sunny skies expected today (Thursday, Dec. 10) and Friday. However, another batch of moisture moves into the area Saturday with about a 40 percent chance of rain. The chance for rain remains through Sunday but by Monday the clouds should start to part and give way to a little more sunshine.