Winter weather forecast to hit SC. Here’s when storms could reach the Midlands

There’s a possibility of winter weather in the Columbia area of South Carolina this week, according to the National Weather Service.

A wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow is possible Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologists said in a Tuesday morning briefing.

A low pressure system is forecast to move along the coast, causing precipitation in the Midlands on Wednesday and into that night, according to the briefing.

As the system approaches and moves east of the area, sub-freezing air is forecast to slowly push into the northern counties of South Carolina, the National Weather Service said.

There’s a much greater chance of a wintry mix in the northern part of the Palmetto State, and up into North Carolina, according to the briefing.

Because Wednesday’s temperature in the Midlands remains in question, it’s less likely that there will be the same wintry mix in the Columbia area, the National Weather Service said.

If the temperatures are too warm, then only rain would likely occur in the Columbia area, according to the briefing. The current forecast shows the temperature could drop below freezing, with a low of 30 degrees possible on Wednesday night, when there’s a 30% chance of precipitation.

Less than half an inch of any precipitation is expected Wednesday, according to the forecast. Only a tenth of an inch of the wintry mix is currently predicted, according to the briefing. Localized amounts in other areas could be higher.

But a longer period of the freezing rain, sleet, snowfall is possible if the temperature is cold enough, the National Weather Service said.

Any wintry mix could cause issues for drivers and create traffic delays, according to the briefing.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation said crews are starting to spray salt brine, or salting the roads. Crews will begin with interstate and primary routes and will work their way into secondary roads, especially in the Upstate.

While the precipitation is forecast to end Wednesday night, the cold weather is expected to stick around longer. In fact, it’s forecast to get colder on Thursday and Friday, when overnight temperatures could drop into the 20s. A low of 20 degrees is possible overnight Thursday, the forecast shows.

The continued cold could lead to a refreeze, with black ice potentially forming.

Daytime temperatures are predicted to rise from the 40s on Thursday and Friday to the 50s and 60s over the weekend, as dry conditions are forecast to continue into next week.

Should there be snow, it would be the third snowstorm of 2025 in the Midlands, an area where any freezing precipitation is considered rare.

There was a Jan. 10 winter storm that included some snow, sleet and freezing rain.

On Jan. 22, there was more significant snowfall in the Midlands. Nearly an inch of snow was recorded at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, while unofficial totals of 1-1.5 inches of snow were reported in Lexington County, and the highest snow accumulation in the Midlands was in the Bowman area of Orangeburg County where about 4 inches was recorded, the National Weather Service said.

Prior to those storms, the last time there was snow on the ground in the Columbia area was January 2022 when up to 3 inches of snow was recorded during that winter storm, according to the National Weather Service.

This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 8:53 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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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