COLUMBIA, SC — The University of South Carolina cancelled its planned scrimmage today because of the lousy weather conditions forecast for the afternoon, but the Gamecocks plan to go ahead with a practice.

If you must feed your baseball fix, the 2:30 p.m. practice is open to the public. Or you can wait until Saturday and Sunday, when the team scrimmages at 1:30 p.m. each day.

Meanwhile, Columbia area schools were watching the updates from the National Weather Service, but by mid-morning Richland and Lexington County schools expected no early dismissal plans.

The arrival of precipitation — rain mixed with freezing rain and sleet — has schools on alert. Districts in Oconee, Pickens, Greenville and Spartanburg, where sleet was falling early today, scheduled early dismissals to avoid the threat of icy roads. Furman University cancelled classes, but Clemson didn’t. The Tigers baseball team did cancel a media availability scheduled Friday.

The National Weather Service extended its winter weather advisory as far south as Newberry, Fairfield and Kershaw counties at 10 a.m. Friday, warning of the possibility of ice accumulations of less than five-hundredths of an inch through early Saturday. Accumulation on roads and tree limbs still was considered less likely in Richland and Lexington counties.

School districts in Newberry, Fairfield and Kershaw counties all were monitoring weather reports and road conditions, but as of 10:30 a.m. had not scheduled early dismissals.

Gov. Nikki Haley announced that state workers would be sent home early only in counties where county officials have decided to sent home their workers early. Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg counties announced early closings of government offices.