Freezing weather in Columbia to make temperatures feel like its in teens, forecast shows
There’s no snow, but winter weather is forecast to arrive in the Midlands Tuesday.
Temperatures are predicted to drop into the 20-degree range overnight, and it will feel even colder with the wind chill, National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Anderson told The State in an interview.
“The temperature will feel like its in the teens, or 12 degrees, with the wind chill,” Anderson said.
Thermometers in the Columbia area are expected to drastically drop in the afternoon once the rain moves out of the area, according to Anderson.
He said a cold front is bringing arctic air from Canada to the Midlands, and that will cause the temperature will drop more than 30 degrees.
It will be “the coldest air so far this season,” according to a tweet from the National Weather Service office in Columbia.
A low of 27 degrees is possible in Columbia, according to Anderson. It could be even colder in parts of Richland County and the western portion of Lexington, where Anderson said temperatures will scrape the mid 20s.
“We will start to feel it in the late afternoon, before sunset,” Anderson said of the temperature drop.
What won’t be seen is snow.
Anderson said the temperature won’t be cold enough to turn the precipitation from rain to snow before the skies clear up. Thermometers likely won’t drop below freezing until 11 p.m., Anderson said.
What will be felt all night are gusting winds, that will exceed 10 mph, and could approach 20 mph, according to Anderson.
There is a silver lining to the powerful winds, as Anderson said the breezes should help Midlands roads dry out before any ice forms.
Even without black ice, Anderson issued other warnings for Midlands residents. He told them to dress in layers, try to stay inside, and to protect themselves and their pets from the cold.
He also recommended opening sink cabinet doors and letting water drip from faucets to help prevent pipes from bursting.
Once the sun rises on Wednesday, temperatures are not expected to get much warmer.
A high of 46 degrees is possible during the day before temperatures return to the 20s at night, Anderson said.
By Thursday the highs are again expected to stay in the 40s, but the low temperatures will also be in that range, according to the NWS forecast.
The weather will remain in that range, gradually warming over the weekend, with temperatures potentially returning to the 60s by next Monday, the forecast shows. But that warmth won’t last long.
Anderson said another cold snap is expected to hit the Midlands around next Tuesday.
