Winter Storm — Charleston, South Carolina

2018-01-03 · Charleston, South Carolina

Event narrative

Storm total snowfall amounts generally ranged from 2 to 6 inches across Charleston County. The precipitation started as rain then changed to freezing rain in the morning, before a prolonged period of snow began. One report of a quarter of an inch of ice accumulation was received near the Shadowmoss subdivision. Elsewhere, ice accumulations ranged from trace amounts up to 2 tenths of an inch around James Island, Charleston, and Mount Pleasant. The lowest snow totals occurred in the eastern part of the county near Awendaw and McClellanville where 2 inches was measured. Other notable totals include 4 to 5 inches across James Island, Johns Island, and West Ashley. Around Mount Pleasant, amounts were also 4 to 5 inches. The maximum totals for the county occurred around Ladson and Goose Creek where 6.5 inches was measured. A 36 year old female died a few days following the event when a vehicle slid off of an icy road and struck the pedestrian on the sidewalk. The incident occurred on Ladson Road near the intersection with Jamison Road in North Charleston.

Wider weather episode

A developing surface low pressure system offshore and an amplifying upper level trough approaching from the west combined with unusually cold air to produce widespread significant winter precipitation across southeast South Carolina. Most of the precipitation fell as snow, with amounts ranging from 1 to 7 inches. The event began as rain for many areas before changing over to snow, with a period of freezing rain along the coast where up to two tenths of an inch of ice accumulation occurred. The official storm total snowfall for the day at the Charleston International Airport was 5.3 inches which ranks as the 3rd highest one day snowfall on record, dating back to 1938. Following the storm, very cold air persisted across the region. This allowed snow to stay on the ground and on area roadways for an unprecedented period of time. The daily snow depth at the Charleston International Airport was a trace or greater for 5 consecutive days, which set a new record. Travel was very hazardous during and after the event, with many secondary roads remaining snow covered for nearly a week. Many schools and businesses were closed for several days, and portions of Interstate 26 and Interstate 526 were closed for various periods of time during and immediately following the snowfall. There were 3 indirect fatalities as a result of the event. One person died as a result of slipping and falling on ice on a walkway, another died while being pulled on a sled behind a vehicle and striking a parked vehicle, and a pedestrian died after being struck by a vehicle that slid off an icy roadway.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 737012. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.