Latest SC winter storm rare in ways beyond snow on the beach. Here’s why

Significant snow at South Carolina beaches? Dusting in the mountains?

The whole winter weather scenario upended this week as a high pressure system to the northwest of South Carolina brought snow to the coast and dry air to the Upstate and mountains.

Chris Landolfi, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia, said Conway got the most snow in the state — 6.8 inches.

That’s enough to make you say, “Oh wow, I didn’t think we’d get that much,” Landolfi said.

Also enough to make your bread and milk run worth it.

Greenville, by comparison, got a dusting.

It is also unusual for the state to get back-to-back winter storms, he said, although the last time it happened was in January 2022 when there were back-to back-storms during two weekends.

Typically, South Carolina’s weather pattern is snow in the mountains and north of Interstate 85, wintry mix in the Midlands and rain at the coast.

Columbia got about an inch of snow this week while Orangeburg got 4 inches, the National Weather Service said.

Charleston got a little more than an inch but Mount Pleasant got 3 inches. Bridges around Charleston were closed for a time and dozens of flights were canceled from the Charleston airport.

Landolfi said South Carolina’s most favorable time for a winter storm is now, and the farther it gets into February the less likely there will be more winter weather.