Home Care In Columbia, SC

COLUMBIA — A winter storm warning has been announced for the entire Midlands, as the area stares down a potentially heavy snowfall.

The latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Columbia predicts that the greatest impacts from snow will be in the northern and central Midlands, where 5-8 inches could potentially fall Jan. 31. The southern and western part of the Midlands faces a less certain snow forecast, with 2-5 inches possible.

NWS Columbia says it could be the largest snowfall for the area since February 2010.

The winter storm warning takes effect at 10 p.m. Jan. 30 and remains until 10 a.m. Feb. 1.

An extreme cold watch is also in effect, with Saturday wind chills that may rang from -5 to 5 degrees as winds gust over 30 mph at times.

The most likely snow total predicted for Columbia is 4-7 inches, while the “reasonable worst case” expected is 9 inches, with a 10 percent chance of exceeding that total. The low-end expectation is 3 inches.

Columbia temps are expected to drop into the teens Saturday-Monday, with highs Saturday not expected to climb out of the 20s. Sunday and Monday highs are forecast in the 30s and low 40s, respectively. Wind chills from late Saturday into early Sunday are anticipated to drop into the single digits.

The greatest impacts from snow are anticipated to come Saturday afternoon and evening, with the greatest cold impacts expected from Saturday evening into Sunday morning and returning Sunday evening.

“Travel could be very difficult,” NWS Columbia said. “Cold temps combined with wind could cause frostbite if exposed long enough.”

The latest winter weather threat comes a week after Winter Storm Fern brought low temperatures in the mid-10s over the weekend of Jan. 23 and into the following week.

COLUMBIA — State Transportation Secretary Justin Powell is warning South Carolinians to use “some common sense and some caution” on the roads, while crews work around the clock to prepare for a second week of severe winter weather.

The National Weather System predicts there could be “significant” amounts of snow falling across the state this weekend, with several inches forecast as a possibility in some regions of the state.

The Department of Transportation has 1,200 pieces of equipment to help prep and clear the roads, from snow plows to salt trucks spreading brine over the asphalt.

The salt trucks began prepping roads this morning. Powell said if you see these trucks, give them plenty of space — both to keep them safe, and to avoid getting sprayed yourself.

And when the snow starts falling, avoid travel, he said. If you must drive, go slow, leave more following distance, brake slower and prepare to slide. He warned that you must be prepared for the very real possibility of getting stuck in your vehicle, and make sure to have a storm-readiness kit.

It’s hard to say how much time it will take DOT to clear the roads. They’ll first focus on the interstates, urging drivers to use particular caution on the on- and off-ramps that proved troublesome in last weekend’s ice storm.

Then, the trucks will move on to clearing major highways, like U.S. Highways 1 and 378 in the Midlands. It could be awhile before the trucks reach less trafficked residential roads.

“Folks need to be patient,” Powell said. “It will take us some time to clear the roadways.”

For some 3,000 DOT employees, this will be the third weekend in a row they’ve worked to prep roads for potentially hazardous winter weather. During last weekend’s ice storm, crews were focused on potential debris in the road from falling branches and trees. This time around, they expect to turn their attention fully to clearing the roads of any snow accumulation.

Throughout the storm and the following days, DOT expects to continue treating the roads with a brine mixture.

“We’re in South Carolina; folks come here for the weather, not the snow and ice,” Powell said. “This isn’t something we normally deal with.”

Nevertheless, he assured the public that “this isn’t our first rodeo,” and that the department is well prepared.

“We will be ready to respond and active in getting South Carolina moving again,” Powell said.

Several inches of snow, high winds, and extreme cold will happen.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A winter storm is expected to bring accumulating snow to the Midlands on Saturday, followed by a surge of bitterly cold air that could create dangerous conditions into early next week.

A Weather Impact Alert is in effect for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On Saturday, the main concerns are accumulating snow and hazardous travel. On Sunday and Monday, the focus shifts to the threat of extreme cold and the potential for cold?weather injuries.

Conditions are expected to stay dry through most of Friday with increasing clouds late in the day. Temperatures will be in the 50's for now, but will drop significantly going into the weekend. Here is a look at the timeline:

This event is expected to be almost entirely snow, with little to no ice expected. Any rain at the very beginning should quickly change to snow. This is due to temperatures staying below freezing throughout the atmosphere.

Because the snow will be light and powdery, gusty winds could blow it around, creating drifting and allowing snow to redeposit onto treated roads.

A Winter Storm Warning was issued early Friday morning for the state. This means we will see heavy snow accumulation, potentially reaching up to 8 inches. We will also see wind gusts up to 40mph.

An Extreme Cold Watch is in effect for the state. Dangerously cold wind chills as low as zero possible this weekend.

Both of these will expire Sunday morning.

Confidence has increased that much of the Midlands will see accumulating snow.

The chance of at least 2 inches of snow is extremely high across central South Carolina, around 95% for Columbia and much of the Midlands, and about 90% for Orangeburg. Chances drop off sharply farther south.

Current model consensus points to:

Forecasters note that earlier wild swings in projections have settled into a tighter and more consistent range.

Because the snow is expected to be dry and fluffy rather than wet and heavy, it can pile up more efficiently and also be blown around by the wind.

The second phase of the impact will be the cold.

Morning lows are forecast near 13 degrees Sunday and Monday, and breezy conditions Sunday morning could push wind chills into the single digits, with some spots possibly falling below zero.

That level of cold increases the risk of frostbite and hypothermia for anyone spending extended time outdoors. Even after the snow ends, very cold afternoons in the 30s will slow melting, meaning slick and hazardous roads could persist into Monday and possibly Tuesday.

Normal highs for this time of year are in the upper 50s, but even by midweek, temperatures are expected to stay well below that.

Residents are urged to prepare for both snow and extreme cold by:

News19 will provide continuous coverage of the winter storm across all platforms, including on air, online at WLTX.com, on social media, and on WLTX+ throughout the weekend. Forecast details may continue to be adjusted as the storm approaches.

COLUMBIA — Accumulating snow and “bitter cold” are expected to impact the Midlands primarily on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service announced Jan. 29.

The weather service issued a winter storm watch for the entire Midlands region, including Lexington, Richland, Kershaw, Fairfield, Saluda, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties, but NWS meteorologist Matt Gropp said the main impacts from snow will likely take place starting on Saturday morning and continuing overnight into Sunday morning.

Right now, the weather service said five to eight inches of snow is possible from the central Midlands up through the northern Midlands while potentially close to double digits of snow is possible into Lancaster and parts of Chesterfield County.

The northern and central Midlands are looking to be the most affected with “major impacts” anticipated including dangerous or impossible driving conditions, widespread closures and disruption to infrastructure expected for Saturday into Sunday.

How much snow is possible?

While the best estimates for snowfall right now are five to eight inches in the Columbia area, Gropp said this storm is notable in that the reasonable “worst case snowfall” still remains quite high.

There is a 10 percent chance of close to a foot of snow falling in Columbia while it may end up “pushing 14 to 18 inches” across the northern parts of the state.

But even more likely, at a 90 percent chance, is the low-end snowfall potential, which still estimates at least two to four inches in the central and northern Midlands.

“So this has a chance of exceeding this by 90 percent so we're pretty much guaranteeing this much amount of snow for the whole area,” Gropp said. “… So the fact that we have at least two to four inches across the central and northern Midlands is pretty notable with this event with a pretty high floor compared to most snow events around here.”

As for what type of snow will be coating the ground, Gropp said it is expected to be pretty “dry and fluffy” compared to what the area is used to.

What else to watch out for

While snowfall is expected to be done by Sunday morning, cold temperatures and wind gusts will continue through the weekend and into Monday.

Strong winds combined with extremely cold temperatures will result in dangerously low wind chills resulting in an extreme cold watch being in effect for Saturday evening through Sunday morning, Gropp said.

Meanwhile temperatures are expected to stay low overnight heading into Monday, meaning any snow or ice that does accumulate on roadways over the weekend will likely linger and cause impacts into Monday.

“The freeze/refreeze pattern is going to be need to be monitored through Tuesday, especially if we get some of those higher end totals where the snow will have a hard time melting on Monday, let alone into Tuesday,” Gropp said.

However unlike Winter Storm Fern, Gropp predicts limited concerns for power outages.

“This type of snow event is going to be pretty dry and fluffy snow relative to what we're used to, so it doesn't stick to trees and power lines very well,” Gropp said. “It will be breezy, and you will have, obviously, some snow that does stick, but not the power outages expected like in an ice storm.”

This system will be different than a typical winter weather event.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A weekend winter storm is still on track to bring several inches of snow to central South Carolina, and new forecast updates suggest the impacts will stretch from Saturday’s snowfall into days of dangerous cold that follow.

News19 has issued a Weather Impact Alert for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday is focused on accumulating snow, while Sunday and Monday are expected to bring bitterly cold temperatures and continued hazardous road conditions.

A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect statewide from Friday night through early Sunday, and an Extreme Cold Watch covers the period after the snow ends as Arctic air pours into the region.

Meteorologists say this setup is unusual for South Carolina because cold air will already be firmly in place before most of the precipitation arrives. That allows the vast majority of what falls to be snow instead of a messy mix.

Forecast guidance indicates about 95% or more of the precipitation during the main part of the storm should fall as snow, with little to no ice expected.

The air mass is also very dry, producing light, powdery snow rather than heavy, wet snow. That matters for two reasons: it is easier for the wind to blow around, creating drifts and covering treated roads, and it can accumulate to higher depths from the same amount of moisture.

Forecasters note that if this were wetter snow, totals might be only a few inches. Because it is powdery, those same conditions can yield noticeably higher accumulations.

Friday stays dry, with clouds increasing late in the day.

Snow is expected to begin after midnight Friday night into early Saturday morning, roughly between 1 and 3 a.m. Light to moderate snow then continues through the day Saturday, with darker, heavier bands at times that can quickly boost totals.

The snow should come to an end early Sunday morning, although impacts will last longer.

Breezy conditions during the storm will allow that powdery snow to blow and drift, potentially re-covering roads that have already been treated.

Probability guidance from the National Weather Service shows very high confidence in accumulating snow across the Midlands.

Latest model agreement has tightened considerably compared to earlier, more uncertain forecasts.

Across the Midlands, most guidance now points to 4 to 6 inches of snow, with slightly higher amounts possible farther north and northeast and lower totals toward the southern and western Midlands.

A statewide view shows a sharp gradient:

Because the snow is expected to be light and fluffy, even modest wind will be able to move it around, leading to localized drifts and uneven totals.

As the snow exits early Sunday, the second phase of the impact begins: extreme cold.

Morning lows are forecast to drop to around 13 degrees Sunday and again Monday. With wind gusts, Sunday morning wind chills are expected to fall deep into the single digits, and some spots could briefly feel below zero.

Expected morning low temperatures:

That combination of snow on the ground and prolonged below-freezing temperatures means melting will be very limited. Even where the sun comes out, icy and slick spots are likely to persist into Monday and possibly Tuesday.

By Tuesday morning, lows are still expected in the lower 20s, and even daytime highs through much of the coming week remain well below normal.

Hazardous travel is likely to develop Saturday and could continue for several days due to blowing snow, drifting, and refreezing.

The extreme cold also raises the risk of cold-related injuries. Forecasters urge residents to bundle up in layers if heading outside and to be prepared for prolonged freezing conditions.

With temperatures staying below freezing for long stretches, dripping faucets can help reduce the risk of frozen pipes.

Forecasters warn that hypothermia and frostbite become real risks in this kind of cold, especially with wind chills near or below zero.

Residents are urged to dress in layers, limit time outdoors, drip faucets to help prevent frozen pipes, and use caution traveling even after the snowfall ends.