COLUMBIA, SC — Winds blasting through South Carolina on the edge of a cold front topped 50 mph in several locations late Thursday and early Friday.

In the 24 hours before 7 a.m., the top winds reported by the National Weather Service were 56 mph at the Santee Dam in Berkeley County, 52 mph at the Lake Thurmond Dam in McCormick County and 51 mph in Elgin and at Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

It’s snowing in parts of the North Carolina mountains, but it’s probably not a fun day for skiing. The weather service forecast for Beech Mountain calls for sustained winds of more than 40 mph and gusts of more than 70 mph. Gusts of more than 80 mph are expected on Mount Mitchell.

Joey Holleman