Snow joining freezing weather in the Midlands? Here’s where, when flurries could happen
The Columbia area has endured freezing temperatures for several days, and now there is a chance the Midlands will be affected by another winter weather element — snow.
Isolated snow flurries are possible Monday night and early Tuesday across the western and northern Midlands, according to the National Weather Service.
Flurries are possible for an hour or more beginning at about midnight in Saluda, Newberry, McCormick and Lancaster counties, National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Rohrbach told The State.
“It won’t last long,” Rohrbach said. “It will last just a few hours.’
Rohrbach said no accumulation is expected and no watches, warnings or advisories have been issued.
It could be the first time since January that there is snow in the Columbia area — even if it’s only in the sky.
But the potential flurries aren’t expected to affect the city of Columbia, or Richland and Lexington counties, according to Rohrbach.
“I don’t think we’ll see any (snow in Columbia),” Rohrbach said.
In the areas that experience the flurries, the snow is not expected to have any impact, according to Rohrbach. Roads shouldn’t be affected by the flurries and it isn’t expected to cause black ice, Rohrbach said.
The slight chance of snow is possible because of some shallow moisture in otherwise dry and cold air, according to Rohrbach. Temperatures are expected to hit a low of 25 degrees overnight, the forecast shows.
This will be at least the fourth day in a row temperatures drop below freezing in the Midlands.
More freezing temperatures are possible overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, but thermometers will be steadily rising throughout the week. Much above normal temperatures are expected by this weekend, with highs likely in the 60s, according to the National Weather Service.
The next chance of precipitation isn’t predicted until Friday, but no winter precipitation is expected then because it will be significantly warmer, Rohrbach said.
In fact, there’s a chance temperatures could reach the 70s on New Year’s Day. But it will be wet when the clock hits midnight at the end of the year, with a 70% chance of rain showers on Saturday night, according to the forecast.
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This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 11:25 AM.
