Winter Storm — Aiken, South Carolina

2025-01-10 · Aiken, South Carolina

Event narrative

A brief band of heavy snow mixed with sleet moved into the county on the morning of the 10th. A COOP observer in North Augusta measured 1 inch of snow mixed with sleet. A COOP observer in Aiken also measured 1 inch of snow/sleet. This impacted the morning commute with several accidents and road closures reported, especially in and around the city of Aiken. Warm air moved in aloft and precipitation transitioned to freezing rain by mid to late morning. Freezing rain accumulated on trees and power lines, which an NWS employee reported was around a tenth of an inch along I-20. South Carolina Highway Patrol reported several downed tree limbs, likely due to the weight of ice accumulation. By evening, temperatures at the surface warmed to above freezing and any lingering precipitation transitioned to liquid rain.

Wider weather episode

A broad mid-level trough pushed across the eastern CONUS throughout January 10th. The associated surface low pressure and warm advection caused a brief band of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain to develop in the Central Savannah River Area and southern Midlands. As temperatures warmed aloft and cold air damming conditions strengthened at the surface, the freezing rain shifted northwards with portions of the central and northern Midlands receiving up to 0.25 ice overnight into January 11th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1232436. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.