Snow is coming to the Midlands. Here’s when schools will close and the plans for Wednesday

School districts across the Midlands are announcing changes to schedules in advance of snow that is forecast to begin as early as Tuesday afternoon. Most Midlands districts have announced plans to dismiss students early Tuesday, while several have said they’ll switch to an e-learning day on Wednesday.

Snow is forecast to move into the Midlands and the Central Savannah River Area between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday and continue until daybreak Wednesday. While the National Weather Service expects areas in the southeast of the state to be most impacted, the areas of the Midlands in the I-20 corridor could see up to an inch of snow.

The State will continue to update the list as more announcements are made.

School closings

Check below for a list of schools that have announced changes to their schedule:

• Richland 1: Elementary schools will dismiss students at 11 a.m. Tuesday. High schools will dismiss students at 11:45 a.m. and middle schools will dismiss students at 12:30 p.m. Students will be served breakfast and lunch before they are dismissed. After school programs, activities and events scheduled for Tuesday, including athletics games and practices, are canceled.
  
  Wednesday will be an e-learning day for Richland 1 students and a work-from-home day for employees, according to officials. All after-school programs, activities and events that were scheduled for Wednesday, including athletics games and practices, are canceled.

• Richland 2: All district schools will dismiss students early. Elementary schools will be dismissed at 11 a.m., middle schools will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. and high schools will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m.
  
  Richland 2 will switch to an e-learning day on Wednesday as all school buildings and district facilities will be closed and all after-school activities are canceled.

• Lexington 1: All district schools will operate on a half-day schedule on Tuesday. Elementary schools, including full-day preschool classes, will be dismissed at 11:20 a.m. and all half-day pre-schools will be canceled. All middle schools will be dismissed at 12:05 p.m. except for Gilbert Middle School, which will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m. Gilbert and Lexington High Schools will be dismissed 12:25 p.m. while Lexington, White Knoll and River Bluff High Schools will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m. Breakfast and lunch is served on half days but all after school childcare and activities are canceled.
  
  Additionally, Lexington 1 officials told parents of district students that schools will switch to virtual e-learning on Wednesday.

• Lexington 2: Schools and offices will dismiss early on Tuesday, with elementary schools departing at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for middle and high schools. Additionally, all Lexington 2 schools will move to an e-learning day on Wednesday. Officials are expected to announce plans for Thursday’s school day schedule.
  
  All after-school activities are canceled Tuesday and Wednesday, including athletic events and practices, extracurricular activities, after-school programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, and adult education classes.

• Lexington 3: Officials said there will be early dismissals Tuesday and Wednesday has been shifted to an e-learning day for students from K4 to 12^th grade. Additionally, all after-school events as well as athletic games and practices scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday are canceled.

• Lexington 4: District schools will transition to early dismissal Tuesday, and officials said Wednesday will be an e-learning day. Breakfast and lunch will be served Tuesday, but all after-school activities, daycare, and athletics are canceled Tuesday and Wednesday.

• Lexington-Richland 5: Officials said all district schools will operate on an early release schedule on Tuesday. Lunch will be provided to students at school, but all after-school childcare programs and extracurricular events are canceled.
  
  L-R 5 schools will operate on an e-learning schedule on Wednesday, when all after-school, childcare programs and extracurricular events are canceled again.

• Sumter School District: Officials said Wednesday will be an e-learning day, as all schools and office buildings will be closed and all activities, including athletic events and field trips, are canceled.

• Kershaw County Schools: District schools will dismiss early Tuesday and will operate on a 2-hour delay on Wednesday.

• Orangeburg County Schools: Wednesday will be an e-learning day, district officials said. All scheduled athletic events and extracurricular activities are postponed.

• Clarendon County Schools: Following early dismissal Tuesday, Wednesday will be an e-learning day and all after-school activities have been canceled, officials said.

• Fairfield County Schools: Officials said that all district schools will be closed Wednesday, which will not be an e-learning day. The missed day will be made up as an e-learning day at a future date.

• Lee County Schools: Wednesday will be switched to an e-learning day, officials said.

• Calhoun County Schools: Officials said that Wednesday will be an e-learning day for district students.

• Newberry County Schools: District schools will dismiss early Tuesday and will operate on a 2-hour delay on Wednesday.

• Saluda County Schools: The district will dismiss students early Tuesday and all all after-school activities and athletics have been canceled.

Other closings

▪ University of South Carolina: USC canceled Columbia campus classes after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. On Monday, USC officials originally announced that the Columbia campus would close Tuesday at noon, but S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster instructed the university to remain open. USC officials again called off classes after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Some other USC related events have been changed. The groundbreaking ceremony for the School of Medicine Columbia’s new facility scheduled for Thursday in the BullStreet District has been postponed and will be rescheduled. Additionally, the Gamecock Polar Plunge originally scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed and the event that benefits Special Olympics South Carolina will be rescheduled.

▪ Midlands Technical College: Like USC, Midlands Tech also planned to close all of its campuses and cancel any classes starting after 12:35 p.m., but reversed course on the governor’s orders. But at 1 p.m. Tuesday, college officials said all Midlands Tech campuses will close at 2:30 p.m.

▪ Richland Library: All locations will close at noon Tuesday, and all library events and meeting room reservations will be canceled.

▪ Richland County Recreation Commission: Officials announced several closures starting at noon Tuesday, including the Parklane Administration Building; all Adult Activity Centers, Technology Centers Community Centers; and the Richland County Wellness Center, LinRick, and Tennis Center which aren’t scheduled to reopen until 11 a.m. Wednesday, when a delay has been completed. Additionally, all parks and athletic fields are closed Tuesday, and all after-school programs are canceled.

▪ West Columbia: City Hall and all parks will close at noon Tuesday.

▪ South Carolina State University: Will close offices Tuesday at 2 p.m., meaning all classes after that time, as well as on Wednesday, will be conducted online, university officials said. Essential employees will work on a regular schedule, but others should work from home Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday.

▪ Claflin University: Officials said the university will close at noon Tuesday.

▪ COMET: The bus line that runs in Richland and Lexington counties will stop service at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and regular service isn’t expected to resume until 10 a.m. Wednesday, depending on road conditions.

This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Ted Clifford

The State

803-771-8315

Ted Clifford is the statewide accountability reporter at The State Newspaper. Formerly the crime and courts reporter, he has covered the Murdaugh saga, state and federal court, as well as criminal justice and public safety in the Midlands and across South Carolina. He is the recipient of the 2023 award for best beat reporting by the South Carolina Press Association.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription