Winter Storm in South Carolina, December 8 to 9, 2018

Name: Winter Storm in South Carolina, December 8 to 9, 2018
Start: 2018-12-08T22:00
End: 2018-12-09T10:00
Location: South Carolina

December 8 to 9, 2018 · NWS GSP · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.

A mix of rain and snow developed during the evening across the foothills and northern Piedmont of South Carolina, becoming all snow by late evening. The snow continued into the overnight hours, while some sleet mixed in for locations along and south of I-85 after midnight. The snow and sleet continued into the morning of the 9th, but transitioned to rain in some areas along and south of I-85, and otherwise became light and insignificant in areas farther north. Storm total accumulations ranged from 1 to 3 inches of a sleet and snow mix south of I-85, to 4 to 8 inches of mainly snow along the North Carolina border.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 8, 9:57 PM EST, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 9:57 PM EST, 3 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 8, 11:05 AM EST, 10 hours 55 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
1105 AM EST Sat Dec 8 2018

NCZ033-035>037-049-050-056-057-068>072-082-501>506-508-510-
SCZ005>009-091615-
Avery-Alexander-Iredell-Davie-Yancey-Mitchell-Catawba-Rowan-
Cleveland-Lincoln-Gaston-Mecklenburg-Cabarrus-Union-
Caldwell Mountains-Greater Caldwell-Burke Mountains-Greater Burke-
McDowell Mountains-Eastern McDowell-Greater Rutherford-Eastern Polk-
Greater Pickens-Greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Cherokee-York-
1105 AM EST Sat Dec 8 2018

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON EST
MONDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for piedmont North Carolina,
western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are requested to report snow and ice accumulations to our
office.

GAZ010-017-NCZ048-051>053-058-059-062>065-507-509-SCZ001>003-091615-
Rabun-Habersham-Madison-Swain-Haywood-Buncombe-Graham-
Northern Jackson-Macon-Southern Jackson-Transylvania-Henderson-
Rutherford Mountains-Polk Mountains-Oconee Mountains-
Pickens Mountains-Greenville Mountains-
1105 AM EST Sat Dec 8 2018

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST MONDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, western
North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are requested to report snow and ice accumulations to our
office.

GAZ018-SCZ004-010-012>014-091615-
Stephens-Greater Oconee-Anderson-Laurens-Union-Chester-
1105 AM EST Sat Dec 8 2018

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM SUNDAY TO NOON EST
MONDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia and upstate
South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Storm Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are requested to report snow and ice accumulations to our
office.

GAZ026-028-029-SCZ011-019-091615-
Franklin-Hart-Elbert-Abbeville-Greenwood-
1105 AM EST Sat Dec 8 2018

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM SUNDAY TO NOON EST
MONDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia and upstate
South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

In addition to the wintry weather, periods of heavy rain are possible
tonight. Isolated flooding may develop, especially in areas where
there is more rain than wintry mix.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are requested to report snow and ice accumulations to our
office.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 8, 8:36 PM EST, 1 hour 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
836 PM EST SAT DEC 08 2018

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0835 PM     SNOW             1 N SALUDA              35.24N  82.35W
12/08/2018  M4.7 INCH        POLK               NC   COCORAHS

            ALL SECONDARY ROADS COVERED WITH SNOW.

&&

TDP

Local storm report, Dec 8, 9:14 PM EST, 46 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 8, 9:39 PM EST, 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
939 PM EST SAT DEC 08 2018

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0939 PM     SNOW             HENDERSONVILLE          35.32N  82.46W
12/08/2018  E5.0 INCH        HENDERSON          NC   SOCIAL MEDIA

&&

TDP

Local storm report, Dec 8, 9:43 PM EST, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
943 PM EST SAT DEC 08 2018

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0942 PM     SNOW             ETOWAH                  35.32N  82.60W
12/08/2018  M2.8 INCH        HENDERSON          NC   SOCIAL MEDIA

&&

TDP

Local storm report, Dec 8, 9:45 PM EST, 15 minutes before

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Local storm report, Dec 8, 9:55 PM EST, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
955 PM EST SAT DEC 08 2018

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0955 PM     SNOW             2 E TIGERVILLE          35.07N  82.34W
12/08/2018  E1.5 INCH        GREENVILLE         SC   SOCIAL MEDIA

            SNOW AND SLEET MIX.

&&

TDP

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Greater Greenville

When: December 8, 10:00 PM EST to December 9, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Greater Greenville forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Winter Storm, Cherokee

When: December 8, 10:00 PM EST to December 9, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Cherokee forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 35.048, -81.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Greater Pickens

When: December 8, 10:00 PM EST to December 9, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Greater Pickens forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Winter Storm, Spartanburg

When: December 8, 10:00 PM EST to December 9, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Spartanburg forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Carolina in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in South Carolina, December 2018

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 798085, 798086, 798087, 798088.