Snow, sub-freezing weather likely in Upstate SC this weekend. Here are how many inches, temp ranges

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the Upstate beginning Friday afternoon through Saturday night, with 2-4 inches of snow expected.

Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills are forecast as well through Monday morning.

A watch is issued when conditions are ripe for snow, warnings are issued when snow is imminent or occurring.

“This air mass will pose potential threat to life and property if precautions are not taken,” the Weather Service said.

Temperatures in the single digits will be felt in the mountains to low teens in the east. Wind gusts of 20-40 mph will add to the problem.

Mountain wind chills are expected to range from -10 to -20 in the valleys, with values of -15 to -25 expected in the high elevations.

Wind chill of 0 to 5 below is forecast along and north of Interstate 85, with low single digits south of there.

“The high temperatures Sunday will struggle to warm even with full sunshine,” the Weather Service said. “Much of the area may end up being continuously below freezing from Friday evening until Monday afternoon...possibly longer than that across some high elevations areas.”

Frank Strait, SC severe weather liaison, said snow that begins in the Upstate Friday evening will spread over the state through the night, reaching I-20 by around midnight and the Lowcountry around daybreak.

“There remains uncertainty about how much snow will fall. However, the Catawba Region, the Pee Dee, and perhaps the Grand Strand will likely see the heaviest snowfall,” he said. “Snow will taper off from west to east on Sunday, ending by daybreak in the Upstate and by midday along the Grand Strand.”

He said, “Storms like these sometimes cause oddities, such as a large difference in snowfall over a relatively short distance, due to small bands of heavy snow that often form. Don’t be surprised if what falls in your backyard varies a lot from what a buddy of yours 15 miles away sees.”

He also said slippery travel is likely,

“Parts of the coastal Plain might see a brief period of freezing rain that would make elevated roads slick like a muddy pig,” he said. “Snow-covered roads will be a problem Saturday through Monday morning, and it’s going to remain cold behind this storm, so the roads could remain slick for a while.

AccuWeather predicts 3-6 inches of snow beginning Friday night and ending Sunday morning.

The incoming weather is a result of an upper low trough in the Corn Belt Friday afternoon to the Tennessee Valley by Saturday morning, before spreading across South Carolina.

The good news is that early next week temperatures will steadily rise and dry conditions will return.

This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 11:20 AM.