from the station that is on your side you are watching friends @ five. >> it was a very scary afternoon in the midlands. we saw thunderstorm warnings turn into tornado warnings and into flash flood warnings warnings and then funnel clouds. >> we got this video from one of our viewers from the highway in west clumma. -- columbia highway. south carolina's weather man, chief meteorologist jim gandy who has been tracking the storms for us this afternoon. jim, is the worse over at this point? >> well, i think it is for much

still tracking rain. that could be a concern. here is that line of showers and thunderstorms, east of raleigh, northeastern part of the state, east of columbia, all the way down into southern georgia and you can see how the thunderstorms are lined up along here and that is what is producing the heavier rain. let's focus in on the midland right now. you can see rain. the bigger concern, to the south of columbia, this area, down to orangeburg, it has had a bowing feature and that is associated with strong gusty winds. there is a severe thunderstorm warning for orangeburg county till 5:30 p.m. this afternoon and calhoun county. they could reissue this to the east and sumpter and calhoun county but they haven't done that just yet.

in the meantime temperatures cooled off. 75 degrees here in columbia today. right now 65. 65 in augusta. 60 atlanta. 62 raleigh. warm ahead of the line of thunderstorms. we have rain still falling here in columbia. we have seen an inch of rain now. 65 degrees current temperature. winds from the south. about 6 miles per hour. now, let's take a look at the traffic across the area and with it raining like it has been that is been causing a slow down. but it is not too bad. you can see, southern part of the city not too bad. and northern sections. a few problem areas. malfunction junction out of the city, going through malfunction junction. it is slow there and a slow down in the westbound lanes of i-20 going into nat area. meanwhile there -- that area. meanwhile there is an accident at i-20 and i-77 and that has

southeast side of town, here is the sumpter highway. it is not too bad. a slow down here. if you are going from downtown to blythewood right now 18 minutes. from downtown to clemson road about 15 minutes. we will have further updates coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you so much. because of the stormy weather dismissals were delayed this afternoon as a precaution. kershaw county schools were cleared before 4:00 p.m. richland county school district one dismissed late. richland 2 buses were delayed but they started running across to 3:30 p.m. d.o.t. crews working to remove one tree in west columbia. these photos were take an short time ago in the area near the farmers market.

mails from a news 19 viewer, julie brown. you can see the strong winds there, brought an entire tree down in her yard. we need your pictures to tell this story of what happened in your neighborhood. we want to see them. upload them to our facebook pages or tweet at us. and make sure you are following our news 19 team on twitter, we are tweeting the latest information so you can stay up to date with the whether weather we are on air or not. and columbia police have arrested a suspect in the sexual assault case near the usc of south carolina campus. 23-year-old carlos jovany hernandez turned himself in to columbia police headquarters around 6:30 a.m. this morning. he was taken in to custody and charged with criminal sexual conduct and first degree and kidnapping.

images of a person of interest at the time. >> there was very scary moments for kids on campus as they got the alerts to their cell phones that this happened. according to investigators the crime took place this saturday. that crime took place between 3:15 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. in columbia. officials say the victim was talking to her carlos jovany hernandez when the suspect told the victim he had a weapon. officers say he forced her to a nearby area where he sexually assaulted her. the university of south carolina has a sexual assault and violence prevention department to help survivors and students who are still scared. >> for those people around the survivors, friends, family, loved ones, it is really important that they support that person and don't make statements or ask questions that could blame the person for the assault because that is

>> well, she being held -- he is being held at the detention center with a $300,000 bond. if he posts the bond he would be required to wear an electronic monitoring device and ordered to have no contact with the victim. judge granted a delay in the trial for joey meeks. the trial has been scheduled for next month. the defense needs more time to review evidence in the case. 21-year-old meeks failed to tell investigators everything he knew about dylann roof and his plans to shoot churchgoers at emanuel ame church in june. she charged with -- he is charged with murder and hate crimes and other charges. a hearing will be held next week to discuss the status of both cases. deputies arrested a man for breaking into several businesses and a school.

during the past 5 weeks numerous businesses were broken into. including an law enforcement -- including an elementary school. officers saw woodal walking through a wooded area where the stolen safe was located. deputies were table link him to the school burglary and the business break ins. he was taken into custody and he is now in jail. an adult store in columbia is officially chosing. news 19 spoke to the -- closing. news 19 smoke to the manager. they will be enforcing zoning laws starting friday. they will be fined $500 every day after february 5 that they are open. they opened in 2011. a new city ordance requires it to move -- ordinance requires it to move after two years.

carolina of appeals is now the newest justice on the supreme court. they elected the judge to fill in the vacancy left behind by december's retirement of a chief justice. it is his third attempt at a seat. he received 92 votes. williams is also a judge on the court of appeals. the retirement was mandatory because she turned 72 last year. more than $4.2 billion were invested in businesses in south carolina last year according it a new report. those investments will create 17,000 jobs. they say there were 150 capital investment projects since 2015. the numbers include new plants in the state and expansion $`0k0t: existing facilities. [ music ] rand paul dropping out of

president. he said in a statement he will turn his attention now to his senate relection campaign in kentucky. -- reelection campaign in kentucky. he is a favorite to win the race. he was once viewed as a presidential contender but he never got traction in the polls. he finished fifth in iowa. presidential candidates are in new hampshire. on the democratic side hillary clinton is campaigning hard after her victory over bernie sanders. former president bill clinton is in columbia tonight campaigning for his wife. it will be held at the john hurst gym at allen university. it kicks off in less than an hour at 6:00 p.m. doors opened at 4:30 p.m.

president bill clinton met with legislators with the democratic primary scheduled for friday february 27. en update -- an update now on the zika virus. a case has been confirmed in georgia. they confirmed the first travel related case of the zika virus. the person was in columbia in december and january. the person recovered from the virus. they are testing several residents who traveled to infected countries. fiat is recalling a half million dodge chargers because they could slip off of a jack when tires are being changed. from 2011 through 2016. the company says the body beneath the doors could become deformed making the cars unstable. the company says it knows of three minor injuries from the problem.

toyota is recalling 300,000 suvs and trucks because of air bag problems. the air bags mounted on the roof could inflate without a crash. toyota says the problem is an issue with the computer that controls the air bags. dealers will replace the computers at no charge to you if you own the vehicle. speaking of toyota, toyota is killing scion. they will be rebagged as toyota models beginning in 2017. it is not clear how it will effect dealerships that sell the scion. >> it is like a collector's item. >> yeah. like the cousin of the toyota. or like, you know,, like, the artist formally known as prince -- >> prions is an amazing artist so i think the scion is amazing. scabies outside. >> rough weather.

>> rough weather. made it through with just property damage. jim gandy and his weather team are following the storm. >> meanwhile we have reporters all over the midlands, we will bring you the latest images as today but coming up next this weekend is a bargain lovers dream come true. clothes, furniture, toys,

a preview a new performer has been added to the already a new performer has been added to the impressive list for super bowl 50 right here on wltx on sunday. lady gaga will be singing the national anthem before the game. marley will perform the sign language to go with lady gaga. cold play will be joined by beyonce and bruno mars for the halftime show.

sending panthers photos. we want more. keep pounding. wearing your gear at work or getting ready for your super bowl party or heading to california for the big game, post your photo on facebook, send it to twitter. anyway you would like to do it. just send the photos in. you may show up on friends @ five. all right. it was intense in the weather center. all hands on deck -- [ talking at the same time ] >> it was busy -- [ talking at the same time ] >> we knew the line of thunderstorms was coming through. there would be heavy rains and that. and a little bit more. >> a little bit moyer is the problem -- more is the problem. >> good news, all the warnings have been canceled or expired at this time. a look at the radar. we will get own over view. line of showers and thunderstorms that is moving through the state right now.

columbia earlier this afternoon. but it is still an extensive line, east of raleigh, florence area now, towards orangeburg and back into georgia. this line in georgia that has been active during the afternoon. producing heavy rains. most of the severe weather has been in the columbia area. let me show you what is going on at the moment. we still have the thunderstorm, part of the line of thunderstorms moving through sumpter and now moving into clarden county, through the east, it does not appear to be severe. however it may still contain gusty winds and locally heavy rain. raining in the columbia area. any threat of severe weather now is going to bree more -- be more towards the ghost. that is good news -- coast. that is good news. the line from pine view, to east of the orangeburg area. moving into lake marion now and

he is an estimate of rainfall and as that line has been coming through z+yt: producing rain. as far as the rain gauges are concerned here in the columbia area, it has been about an inch, maybe to an inch and a half in a few locations. heavier rains occurring to the south and we will be getting more information on that shortly. but in the meantime temperatures have cooled off because of the rain. 65 in orangeburg and columbia. 64 greenwood. 62 in rock hill. i don't expect much in the way of many changes in our temperatures going forward. at least for a few hours. it is warmer along the coast. but we will continue to watch some of this rain through the evening hours. this is what our computer model is projecting, rain towards the coast over night. tomorrow night, cloudy skies. we will call for a chance of showers. but most of the rain will be in the south eastern part of the

once we get into friday, though, the clouds move out and we will see sunshine on friday. now, let's go over taandrea. >> -- to andrea. >> all right. thank you. one day only, the junior league clean sweep. this saturday. so excited about it. kim is back with us again. you brought fabulous things things and you said you are filling up -- >> we are just starting to unpack and i already found treasures. and we have more to unpack. lots of great things. >> one thing that is fantastic about the junior league clean sweep, those of us with children, it is your favorite toy and then you outgrow it, it is a great time to -- talk about children toys and toys -- >> that's right. especially books, also. our children and we like to trade out and get different

and hundreds of books. toys, clothes. i even found a chicken man -- [ talking at the same time ] >> cute chicken man to. >> people love the clothing. talk about the prices. what -- one -- [ talking at the same time ] >> that was priced at $5. the dress and the turtle neck. bargain prices. >> that is unbelievable. as we move down. what are the other things we have? >> we have a lot of house wear. lots of candles, bowls, china, silver wear and a bag and then we have pocket books. >> jeez -- [ talking at the same time ] [ laughter ] >> i found this coach bag. it looked great. you just will be amazed at the treasures you will find. i was having a blast this afternoon going through and finding everything. >> not only for parents but i have seen there are pictures of great things if you are just starting out, in college, just got your first place, and you

you have all that stuff too. >> we can stock a house. appliances, furniture. golf clubs. create all your hobbies at the same time. >> i could use a trade mill -- [ talking at the same time ] >> you never use them again. coffee makers. another fantastic thing. >> rugs, pictures, mirrors. you can stock the entire home like you said for a wonderful price. [ talking at the same time ] >> $5 rug. that was exciting. >> all the money goes back into the community to further the junior league mission. >> this is one day only. you have to shop fast. time, details. >> gates open at 7:00 a.m., doors open at 8:00 a.m. $3 to get in. $5 for parking. cash only. at 12:00 p.m.

we back up and for $5 anything you can fit into a bag for $5. >> unbelievable. never been during the $5 time but i guess it is like madness. >> it is a fun day. >> all the money is going to fund your mission at the junior league. tell me about the projects. >> our vision is to further the health and well being of children and families. so we work with so many different children's organizations. non-profits. we gave out $114,000 to non- profits here in january. and that doesn't include all the programs that we put on. >> wow! love that. all right. so make sure you get cash. one important part. stop at the atm. cash only. saturday. plenty of parking. $5. $3 gets you in and enjoy your shopping. [ talking at the same time ] >> treasures for everyone. >> thank you so much for coming back to see us.

five moms and dads no reason to let the baby cry it out. pick the baby out and give it extra snuggles according to a new study. we will tell you why hugging your (phone ringing) you can't deal with something, by ignoring it. but that's how some presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security. americans work hard, and pay into it. so our next president needs a real plan to keep it strong. (elephant noise) (donkey noise)

cuddling your crying baby [ music ] cuddling your crying baby won't spoil them. it helps them grow into successful and mappier adults -- happier adults according to a new study out of notre dame. those who received cuddles cuddles and free play time evolved into adults with better mental health. >> feeling vindicated for not putting my son down for a year. moving on. new warning for young women. the cdc says female of child bearing age should avoid drinking alcohol unless they

the hope is to reduce the number of babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome. it could harm a developing baby even before a woman knows she pregnant. the cdc says there is no known safe level of alcohol at any stage in a pregnancy. we all do it from time to time but do you know how much time you are slacking off at work between facebook, twitter, news, youtube videos of cats. most of us don't spend our entire work day working. scientists figured out how much time we waste at work. what would you say it is? how much time do you think you waste at work? tweet at us the answer. if you don't want us to announce your name, if you are saying how much time you slack off, tweet us that too.

is facebook and twitter. most of the time i am on facebook talking to you guys, viewers. i hardly talk to anybody i actually know on facebook. >> part of our job is not shopping on etsy or the other fun things -- [ talking at the same time ] >> i never bought anything on etsy -- >> really? don't start. >> ebay is my jam -- [ talking at the same time ] >> you have to set up an account.

>> too you are watching news 19 friends @ five with andrea mock and darci strickland. >> scary moments this afternoon in the midlands, thunderstorm warnings turned into tornado warnings into flash flood warnings.

viewer in west columbia. >> yes and then the spread as it moved to the east and now we got breaking news about whether or not this was actually a tornado. straight over to your chief meteorologist south carolina's weather man jim gandy. >> we had it confirmed there was a tornado. this was near the farmers market in columbia. the length of the path was 6/10 of a mile. this is radar. no threat of tornadoes at the moment. we have a line of thunderstorms that is off to the east right now. this is pushing through parts of sumpter and clarden county. approaching i-95. gusty winds, heavy rain. you can see the rain, back into orangeburg, and there has been rain with this. right now in columbia we are

it is 65 degrees, winds from the south at 6 miles an hour. the traffic, as you imagine the rain is slowing things down. this is an over view right now. and it is not too bad around a good part of the city. we have a few problem spots. first of all northeast side of town. i-20 is in good shape. north on i-77 from 277 there is a slow down. also on fair road there is a slow down there. on the northwest side of town. here is -- this is -- 126 into malfunction junction. you can see it is slow right now. even on 26 going into that. this is the lexington ohio. you can see how clowe -- highway. you can see how slow it is. slow downs on ost1 as well --

downtown to harvardson boulevard 15 minutes. from downtown to lexington will take you at least 24 minutes. ladies, back to you. >> all right. thank you. we are going to take a look at weather video we just got back in to news 19. we will do that in a second. first bus dismissal, it was delayed at several school districts this afternoon as a precaution to make sure no kids were traveling during the mess outside. kershaw county were cleared before 4:00 p.m. about that time richland one dismissed. richland two began running at 3:30 p.m. and now to video we just got in to the news room. here is incredible video outside of a -- outside of a business. over turned 18 whiler and

there is a piece of a roof that got thrown into a tree. this is in the leesville area. and you can follow ralph cooper wltx on twitter as well. >> lots of you send in video of damage. this came from julie brown. thank you so much for the pictures. especially when you can take them during a time when you are safe. d.o.t. crews are working to remove one tree that has fallen near charleston highway in west columbia. these photos were taken a short while ago in that area near the state farmers market. we have shown you this picture once today. we will show it to you again. a video of a funnel cloud. a funnel cloud from the charleston highway in west columbia. again, it is one of the pictures that is characteristic

have seen because of this storm system. the good news so far only reports of property damage, trees down. we have heard of no injuries. personal injuries. we will continue to follow this story for you. our news 19 weather team is here and you can follow us on air and online and especially through twitter. social media has been very, very, very, very, very busy today with trying to get pictures in and trying to keep up with what is going on. >> we were just looking at the videos that we saw there that ralph cooper took. he is joined by joyce koh from news 19 out in the steadman area where it looks like they had quite a bit of damage. what are you standing in front of? >> reporter: yeah. this -- behind me right now, used to be a shed.

and the roof is kind of collapsed. it used to hold bails of hay. they are crushed. i am joined now by alfonzo who worked here for 44 years. tell us what this used to look like. you said the poles were up and it held up the structure. what is the difference now looking at it? >> oh, disaster now. i mean, it was -- just a -- double -- shed. a shed, hay shed. just whatever else wanted to store tin. >> reporter: this is -- in it. >> reporter: this is -- underneath this wall, this used to be his car. it is under this wall right here. if you can get a good shot at this, ralph. this used to be your car. how does it feel looking at this? >> feels like i need a be paid off. i hate it because it is my --

i don't know if ralph can get a shot of that but it is under this wall that used to be a part of the shed and it also hit this truck right here. this truck. knocked it over. more damage here as well. kind of throughout the plant. we are right now on tracy logging. timber harvesting company. they move timber out of here. there are several trucks that flipped over. you can see that one. that took a couple turns. it used to be on the other side of the road. a lot of destruction in the area. it kind of carved a path, the tornado, some areas it didn't touch at all and other areas as you can see they are destroyed. and luckily no one got hurt in this thank goodness. everyone is fine. staying in the shop here. for right now we are reporting

it is hard to go from seeing those pictures to talking about sports but that is also the big story today. today is national signing day. meaning that high school athletes all over the country commit to the college of their choice. >> the biggest day for the athletes so far in their lives and that includes the new class of gamecocks. the athletes that are heading to columbia. news 19's alyssa lang has more on today's signing and who decided to be a gamecocks. >> a lot of guys. and a lot of athletes who made big decisions today and they should get a big congratulation. of course, all eyes on will, he has been hard at work in the off season. ever since he has been hired trying to get the new group to come into usc. today was a day that said a lot about him and solidified what kind of coach he is.

high school seniors. they signed early and began their college career in january. talented athletes. they don't get a signing day since they are already in college. he hosted a signing day for these guys that meant a lot to them. their family was there. shows what kind of relationship he has with the players. he and his staff did their best to put a great product on the field. he did remind everyone you won't see the best of the recruits immediately, they are still young and they could take a while. here is what he had to say. >> evaluation, doing great job with the film, the camps, the recruiting process, selling south carolina and now we are in the developmental process.

players on and off the field. student athletes to a certain degree. we will know in two or three years. to be honest, that is when you find out about your development of what they do and how productive they will be. >> again, it will be a good two to three years before they reach their full potential under this coaching staff. from the mood today things are looking good for this program. it seems to be a good batch of recruits. including a local kid who we will hear from in sports. >> that is big for carolina fans. >> keeping them at home is a big deal -- [ talking at the same time ] >> we love to continue to watch them in their careers as they go. that is been so much fun watching them. >> absolutely. it will be another family staying home. >> thank you so much. speaking about the gamecocks. it cause carolina day. they marched from the school's

where they met with elected officials. the message was that a stronger usc means a stronger south carolina. supporters say the schools improve the health and prosperity across the state. he spoke today about the event. >> we come out, hundreds strong, to make a statement that usc matters. we believe that usc changes everything. i also want to say we are not here intimidating, we are just here to say we want it work with our legislators and ask what fair funding means, what they expect from us, more efficiency, more work on behalf of the state. that is what we want to provide. -- to provide. >> it is organized every year by the my carolina alimnigh association.

key note address at home town legislative action day. she discussed her vision and how cities can work with the department of education. officials are interested in how education plays a role in the economic success of areas around the state. >> great opportunity for all the mayors and city counsel members to learn about legislative priorities and have a chance to go to the state house and connect. >> not only was it a good learning process it was also according to attendees good for networking. all right. coming up next on friends @

a mardi gras it was bumpy outside today. but as we know now it looks like it will be a good looking weekend. so news 19 is helping you find

friday, saturday and sunday. this weekend baseball fans all you need to do is go to founders park and enjoy the game for free before the usc season starts. they are continuing their scrimmages. friday is 4:00 p.m. saturday at 1:00 p.m. and sunday at 1:30 p.m. the best part, all three of these free and open to the public and get ready for mardi gras, the fun comes to columbia. this saturday is the mardi gras festival. events run all day long. kicking off with a 5k and then the parade. everyone is welcome to take part in that at 11:00 a.m. it ends right into city roots farm, live band, a jump castle for kids. there is last year. got excited.

good food too. take cash with you and the proceeds are going to stay at city roots whose farm was damaged with the floods. bring the family but don't forget to wear a costume. also you you heard, junior league clean sweep saturday. it is in the canty building at the state fairgrounds. the sale has everything from bags to jewelry to toys and clothing and furniture. gets open at 7:00 a.m. $5 a car. you have to stop by the atm because it is cash only. don't end up there with no cash. coming up next on friends @ five a strong resume, good grades, not all you need to land a job.

good resume and references aren't the only thing job applicants need worry about. turns out social media could play a big role in whether or not you land the job. >> reporter: like most she spends time on social media. >> i use linked in and i use facebook, instagram, snap chat. >> reporter: but when she started looking for a job she was careful about what she posted. >> i was thinking i should keep it professional because it is all online and everyone can see. >> reporter: research shows that is a good idea because businesses are looking. a report finds one third of companies disqualified someone in the past year because of

social media accounts. in another survey, the most common social media mistakes people make, 45% said posting negative or inappropriate comments. 35% said posting or being tagged in inappropriate photos. >> if you are too opinionated or negative, it could come off that you could be a problem. >> reporter: 17% of managers questioned people who don't post regularly or don't have a social media profile at all. having a professional presence online works for her. she got a job. first out of college. cbs news new york. >> it a survey -- a survey

media. >> about attitude. we have that person who is always angry at somebody. >> mm-mm. yeah. >> they are the victim. always crying about something on facebook. >> drinking pictures will do you no good. we were looking at an intern and i said let's go to her facebook page. that was it. >> that is it. >> that was it. >> she did not make it. [ talking at the same time ] all right. we told you that science figured out how much time a day we waste at work. the answer was we waste about an hour a day. 50 minutes to be exact. the survey found we split our time like catching up on news feeds and seeing what is trending on twitter. workers take less personal time when they work longer hours. >> that is not necessarily a bad thing, is it? you work longer so you don't

though you are on something as simple as a bra donation could change a woman's life. that is the woman they are promoting. bras are being donated, this is the last time, last day they are doing this. >> today is the last day to donate a bra. if you live in the columbia area, they close at 9:00 p.m. tonight and they do so much for women impacted by domestic violence. your chance to donate at the

you are

very active day weather wise. tornado warnings for 5 midland counties. a confirmed touchdown. we will look at the damage left behind. >> and an arrest made in a sexual assault near the usc last weekend. we will have details on the suspect. >> and national signing day, where midland players are heading. news 19 at 6:00 p.m. starts right now. from the station that is on your side you are watching news 19 at 6:00 p.m. >> just a short time ago the national weather service confirmed a small tornado touched down north of the farmers market in west columbia. just off the charleston highway. that video given to us by a viewer earlier today. good evening and thank you for being with us. i am jr berry. >> i am darci strickland. a busy afternoon weather size but first we will -- wise. but first we will check win

meteorologist jim b.