Hope you scooped it and froze it – Columbia’s snow didn’t last very long
A light, early morning dusting of snow for some folks in the Midlands turned into heavier flakes by late morning – but not for long, and not much stuck.
Most of the Midlands saw a tenth-of-an-inch of snow before 11 a.m. By that time, most of the precipitation had stopped altogether.
Icy roads weren’t expected to be a concern in the Midlands overnight or Sunday morning, according National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Rohrbach in Columbia.
Temperatures rising to about 40 degrees and a break in the clouds later Saturday were expected to dry out the roads before temperatures had a chance to drop below freezing again overnight, Rohrbach said.
The state’s northernmost counties bore the brunt of the storm, reporting considerable ice issues along with snow. But those areas saw more sleet than freezing rain and less snowfall than originally anticipated.
In Greenville County, Tigerville received a total of 7 inches, Taylors received 3 inches, and Mauldin and Greer each got 2 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Several thousand customers were on track to remain without power for a second night in the Upstate, but power had been restored to just as many. Nearly 5,000 customers of Duke Energy and electricity coops were without power Saturday evening, almost 3,500 of them in Greenville County.
A number of roads, especially secondary roads, were impassable in the northern counties both Friday night and Saturday. There were many wrecks, but no fatalities were reported.
In York, Chester and Lancaster counties, Friday night’s temperatures in the 20s, coupled with the snow and freezing rain changing to ice, created dangerous streets, said Lance Cpl. Gary Miller of the S.C. Highway Patrol. Most of the snow and ice melted by midday.
By 12:30 p.m. Saturday, the state Department of Transportation reported that all S.C. interstates were open and passable, with conditions rapidly improving. Some secondary routes in the most northern counties were impassible due to snow and ice and downed trees, however.
The Greenville News, The Associates Press and The (Rock Hill) Herald contributed.
This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Hope you scooped it and froze it – Columbia’s snow didn’t last very long."