Winter Storm — Greater Greenville, South Carolina

2016-01-22 to 2016-01-23 · Greater Greenville, South Carolina

Wider weather episode

An area of low pressure spread precipitation into Upstate South Carolina by the early morning hours of the 22nd. Light snow, mixed with rain and sleet fell across the mountains and foothills during the pre-dawn hours, and continued through the morning. By early afternoon, up to a half inch of sleet and snow had fallen across the foothills and far northern Piedmont, while several inches of snow had fallen across the high elevations. Roads conditions deteriorated quickly from late morning through early noon, resulting in many traffic accidents. Wintry precipitation continued into the afternoon, when most of the area saw a mix of snow and sleet, followed by a transition to light freezing rain, while elevations above about 2000 feet saw mainly snow. Total accumulations ranged from 1-3 inches of sleet and snow in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, to 5-8 inches of mainly snow along the Highway 11 corridor, to more than a foot above 2500 feet or so. Light icing also occurred on top of the sleet and snow, and the combination of the ice on top of the heavier snowpack resulted in numerous power outages across portions of northern Greenville County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 613886. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.