Frigid air moves in, snow and sleet possible this week

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Frigid air will impact much of South Carolina this week, with a chance of some winter precipitation.

Temperatures on Monday morning will start below freezing for most with warming into the low to mid 40s.

Bitterly cold temperatures will move in by Tuesday and near-record-low temperatures are possible Wednesday night. A cold weather advisory is active for the Lowcountry until noon Wednesday, meaning wind chills ranging from 15 to 20 degrees Monday and 10 to 15 degrees Tuesday night and Wednesday night.

A winter storm watch will be in effect from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning for Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, and Berkeley counties.

Meanwhile, an area of low pressure will pass to the south and offshore by the middle of this week and will bring winter precipitation to the region. Storm Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Rob Fowler said the track of that low-pressure system will be key to precipitation types and amounts.

“We are now about a day away from frozen precipitation knocking on our door. The two major computer models we use for guidance when building our forecasts are in excellent agreement, and you can see that in the two compared side by side! (GFS and ECMWF, or EURO),” Fowler said.

Accumulating snow and freezing rain remain likely in some areas, and current snow amounts of one to two inches are possible for most.

Fowler said the precipitation type for coastal counties (freezing rain, sleet, or snow) still remains uncertain. He said the risk for all snow is highest away from the coast.

Our greatest impacts will be Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning; however, there is a low-end risk that freezing rain will occur late Thursday evening. There could also be travel issues Wednesday night and Thursday as wet roads could refreeze.

Be sure to download the News 2 app for breaking news alerts, updates, and any possible changes to school schedules this week. You can also download the Storm Team 2 app for the latest forecast and weather alerts.