USC, Midlands Tech planned to close because of snow. Then Gov. McMaster weighed in
Two college campuses in the Midlands that initially said they planned to close because of winter weather are staying open.
The University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College initially announced Monday they would close Tuesday afternoon because of inclement weather.
Gov. Henry McMaster then weighed-in on X, before Midlands Tech’s initial announcement.
“State government offices in Richland and Lexington counties will be open for business and operate as normal tomorrow until instructed otherwise,” McMaster posted. “State employees in Richland and Lexington counties are to report to work tomorrow as normally scheduled.”
Each school then announced they would stay open.
USC pointed to McMaster’s post in its announcement saying it would stay open.
“Gov. Henry McMaster notified all state offices within Richland County, including USC, to remain open,” USC posted on X.
USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said the university traditionally follows Richland County government’s lead when deciding whether to close. Richland County announced Monday it would “close for normal operations at noon, Tuesday, Jan. 21, because of reports of potential snow in the area.”
USC has since announced classes after 2:30 p.m. will be canceled, but offices on campus will remain open, while Midlands Tech subsequently announced that all of its campuses would close at the same time.
Snow is expected to start to fall in the Midlands between 3 and 7 p.m. Tuesday with the heaviest coming during the evening and overnight hours between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 2 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service has said.
The Columbia-area could see up to an inch of snow accumulate, and between two and three inches of snow are expected in the southern parts of the Midlands.
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 11:36 AM.
