COLUMBIA — A historic winter storm is “probable” this weekend for much of South Carolina, the National Weather Service in Columbia said Jan. 31.
Heavy snow bands over northern portions of the state could result in snow totals ranging from 8-12 inches, the service said.
“Forecast amounts would put this event in the top 15 of snowfall events for the Columbia and Augusta climate sites dating back to 1887 and 1871 respectively,” the service said.
With snow expected to begin accumulating between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. in Columbia, 4-7 inches is expected to fall on the city. The “reasonable worst case” is 9 inches, with a 10 percent chance of exceeding that total. The city has a 90 percent chance of seeing more than 3 inches of snow.
Snow should wrap up overnight Saturday, heading into Sunday morning, between 3 and 5 a.m. in Columbia.
“The area of expected major impacts has extended further south with slightly higher snow totals expected,” NWS Columbia said of how the forecast has developed.
The biggest snow impacts in the Midlands are expected from the afternoon into the evening Saturday, with gusting winds impacting the area from the afternoon into Sunday morning. Gusts of 25-30 mph could result in snow blowing and drifting and reducing visibility. Some gusts could exceed 30 mph.
The wind will also stoke bitterly cold wind chills. The cold will continue with less wind on Sunday, which may cause travel hazards to linger into early next week. Saturday night heading into Sunday, the wind chills in Columbia are expected to dip into the single digits. Lows Saturday-Monday are set to hover in the teens, with highs in the 30s inching into the 40s by Monday.
Extreme cold and winter storm warnings remain in effect for the entire Midlands from Saturday on through Monday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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