Would you believe it? On this day in 2014, historic snow fell in the Midlands
There doesn’t seem to be a chance of snow in the Midlands of South Carolina any time soon, but that wasn’t the case in 2014.
On this date seven years ago, some areas of Lexington County saw more than 3.5 inches of snow, in one of the earliest winter weather events recorded in the region.
The snowfall was so heavy on Nov. 1, 2014, that traffic on Interstate 20 had to be temporarily halted when several 18-wheelers got stuck in the slush attempting to climb a small hill. S.C. Highway Patrol had to pull the vehicles to the shoulder until the wintry flurries had passed, The State reported at the time.
The National Weather Service in Columbia recorded the high in Gilbert, while other areas in the western part of the county recorded around 2 inches. Only trace amounts of snow were recorded at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, but heavy accumulation from the early-season storm was recorded in the western part of the state as far away as Greenville County.
It was the earliest snowfall recorded in the famously snow-averse Palmetto State for more than 100 years. The earliest previous recorded snow for the area was Nov. 9, all the way back in 1913.
While children played in the snow, it was less fun for the 12,000 SCE&G customers who were without power at one point, mostly in Lexington and Saluda counties. Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative also reported another 14,000 without power the morning of the snow storm. Among the customers affected were Lexington County’s 911 center.
Residents shouldn’t expect to see another such storm any time soon.
The forecast high for Lexington on Monday was 70 degrees, with temperatures expected to stay above freezing even as a front of colder air is forecast to move in later this week.
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