Unusual hard freeze hits SC. Here’s how long the extra cold weather will last, forecast says
A hard freeze struck parts of South Carolina Monday night — but that was just the beginning.
According to the National Weather Service, parts of the state are due for even more abnormally frigid temperatures most of this week.
The highs across South Carolina stayed in the 40s on Monday. The lows varied a bit more however. The Midlands and the Upstate were hit with with hard freeze temperatures in the 20s Monday evening. The Lowcountry and Pee Dee Region had temperatures that never dropped below the 30s last evening, the NWS states.
But temperatures are expected to drop even more this week. Here’s which areas of the state will have even harsher hard freezes and how long the abnormally cold weather will last.
Hard Freeze
A hard freeze happens when temperatures reach 28 degrees or lower for at least an hour or longer, the NWS states. Such cold will usually destroy seasonal vegetation. Pipes are also vulnerable to freezing and bursting during a hard freeze.
SC cold weather forecast
A stronger cold front moved into the state Monday evening with “a modified arctic air mass settling over the area Tuesday with temperatures well below average,” the NWS states.
Temperatures on Tuesday in the Midlands and the Upstate will hover in the low 40s, then plummet into the low 20s that evening, with some spots falling possibly as low as the teens, the forecast shows.
The Lowcountry and Pee Dee Region will continue to see highs in the 40s and lows in the low 30s on Tuesday.
Temperatures are expected to noticeably rise across the state on Wednesday — the Midlands, for instance, can expect highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. But that won’t spell the end of the exceedingly cold weather this week.
“Another strong front moves through Thursday with breezy winds ahead of it and well below average temperatures behind it into late week and the weekend,” the NWS states.
Hard freeze temperatures in the 20s will return to the Midlands and Upstate Thursday evening. Expect similar low temperatures on Friday night as well.
The Pee Dee Region and Lowcountry can expect lows in the 30s on Thursday and Friday.
Temperatures will then climb across the state to more average levels on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the forecast shows.
