There’s a possibility snow will fall in South Carolina at the end of the week, and people in the Columbia area could see some of the white stuff.
There’s a good chance for precipitation in the Midlands on Friday night and into Saturday morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Rohrbach told The State on Sunday. While the forecast is uncertain six days out, it’s possible temperatures could drop low enough that the precipitation could be snow, according to the National Weather Service.
If snow forms overnight Friday, it’s expected to be more than flurries of snowflakes whipping around in the air, Rohrbach said.
It could be the first time since January 2022 that there is snow on the ground in the Columbia area, according to Rohrbach. Between 1 and 3 inches of snow was recorded across the Midlands during that winter storm.
That storm was the first time any measurable amount had fallen on Columbia since 2017, and prior to that Columbia hadn’t had more than an inch of snow since 2014, the National Weather Service said.
Again, it’s too early in the current forecast cycle to say how much — if any — snow will accumulate overnight Friday. But should there be snowfall, its remnants likely won’t be around for long.
If it snows, the precipitation is predicted to transition back into rain, which could wipe out any signs of accumulation, Rohrbach said.
It’s also too early to tell whether there’s a chance of black ice forming on Columbia-area roads, Rohrbach said.
In the Columbia area, rain is expected to begin Friday night, the forecast shows. Multiple forecasts predict that temperatures will drop into the low 30s overnight, creating the possibility of snow.
“Evening rain (will be) followed by a mix of rain and snow late,” according to weather.com.
Temperatures are forecast to rise into the 40s by Saturday afternoon. A low of 27 degrees is possible overnight Saturday, but there’s currently a very limited chance of more precipitation at that point.
The current forecast shows temperatures are expected to be well below the freezing point leading up to Friday. Lows in the mid-20s are predicted Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, and highs will only rise into the 40s during the day.
A wind advisory was issued for Richland and Lexington counties as well as all of the Midlands, according to the National Weather Service. It will go into effect at 6 a.m. and is scheduled to run through 7 p.m.
Gusty winds are expected beginning Monday morning with some wind gusts over 40 mph, the National Weather Service said. Sustained winds are expected to be as fast as 10-20 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Powerful winds could blow around unsecured objects and cause considerable damage to trees and branches, which creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages.
Some rain is expected Monday, when temperatures could reach a high of 61 degrees, according to the forecast. Following those showers, conditions are predicted to be cold and dry until Friday.
