USC closes campus on Friday amid forecast of snow and freezing rain in SC Midlands

The University of South Carolina will close campus Friday as the S.C. Midlands braces for possible winter weather, an official confirmed Thursday.

In-person classes will be canceled, but classes that are online-only already may still be held, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said in a text message.

USC’s closure follows the closure of Richland County offices, and is not related to the number of COVID-19 cases on campus, which have decreased since last week, Stensland.

Multiple K-12 schools throughout the S.C. Midlands have also canceled after-school sports and are going online-only on Friday. Thursday afternoon, Midlands Technical College also canceled classes for Friday.

Benedict College closed its campus for Friday but moved classes online. Employees will work from home, according to a news release from Benedict College.

Starting just after midnight on Friday morning, portions of the S.C. Midlands, including Richland County, are expected to see up to an inch of sleet and snow accumulation by Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

This story was originally published January 20, 2022 at 10:16 AM.