Heavy Snow — Richland, South Carolina

2026-01-31 · Richland, South Carolina

Event narrative

Multiple measurements from CoCoRAHS, public, and COOP across the county of 3 to 5.5 inches of snow. Highest measured amount in the county was 5.4 inches from a trained spotter outside of Pontiac.

Wider weather episode

A unique snow setup for South Carolina developed as a strong coastal low strengthening offshore, while a upper level disturbance shifted over our area. This provided sufficient synoptic and mesoscale lift for widespread heavy snow across SC along with unusually high snow to liquid ratios between 15-20 to 1. A brief period of sleet-graupel occurred at the onset of the event following by 12 hours of light-moderate snow across the area, with highest amounts in the Pee Dee region of SC.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1310861. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.