Chances of snow dwindle, but other winter weather is forecast to chill the Midlands
The forecast is getting clearer and it’s becoming more likely that the Midlands will be affected by a winter weather storm at the end of the week.
But a Wednesday update from the National Weather Service said it’s not likely to be a snow storm in the Columbia area of South Carolina.
“We’re not expecting snow to accumulate,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Tony Petrolito told The State Wednesday. “There’s a low probability that precipitation could start off as snow ... but it will be insignificant and melt as it falls.”
But the Midlands, especially the area north of Columbia and the Interstate 20 corridor, are still expected to be impacted by winter weather beginning Friday afternoon.
“It’s pointing toward freezing rain and sleet issues,” Petrolito said.
The forecast shows there’s a 90% chance of precipitation. It’s expected to be heaviest on Friday night before tapering off Saturday morning, according to Petrolito.
Nearly an inch of precipitation could accumulate by the end of Friday, the forecast shows. Petrolito said meteorologists will have a better idea about the forecast Thursday.
While rain showers seem most likely, freezing rain and sleet could present issues.
“Icing is a more serious threat” overnight Friday, Petrolito said. “Freezing rain is not something you want.”
Ice could form on elevated surfaces and then create problems as it builds on roads and bridges, according to Petrolito. While not much ice is currently predicted in Columbia, the area north of the capital city and toward Charlotte, N.C., is expected to be at greater risk for freezing rain, Petrolito said.
“Wintry mix may lead to hazardous travel conditions Friday night, especially on bridges and overpasses with highest potential north of I-20,” the National Weather Service said.
Any ice that forms during the storm could linger into Saturday as freezing temperatures are expected in the morning and predicted to return by the night, the forecast shows.
“(South Carolina Department of Transportation) crews are preparing equipment and pre-treating roads across the state while we continue to monitor the forecast,” SCDOT Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell said in a news release. “We want our community members to know that SCDOT stands ready to respond to any winter weather to keep South Carolinians moving.”
SCDOT asked drivers both to slow down and give crews space to work as well as staying off the roads if they don’t have to travel in the case of deteriorating conditions.
The ice could also form on trees and potentially bring down limbs, according to Petrolito. That could lead to downed power lines and outages.
No advisories, watches or warnings have been issued, but that could change as it gets closer to Friday afternoon, Petrolito said.
Once the showers end Saturday, there’s no further chance of snow, sleet or freezing rain in the near future, according to the forecast.
The rest of the upcoming forecast time frame is expected to be dry and cold with temperatures leading up to Friday’s storm and through the beginning of next week predicted to reach highs in the 40s with lows in the 20s. That’s 10 to 15 degrees below the normal temperatures (high of 57 and low of 35) for this time of year in South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.
Should the forecast change and increase the possibility of snow, it would be the first time since January 2022 that there’s snow on the ground in the Columbia area, according to the National Weather Service. Between 1 and 3 inches of snow was recorded across the Midlands during that winter storm.
That storm was the first time any measurable amount had fallen on Columbia since 2017, and prior to that Columbia hadn’t had more than an inch of snow since 2014, the National Weather Service said.
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