Winter Weather in South Carolina
Every winter weather event the National Weather Service has filed in South Carolina, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
The most significant on the map
The most significant winter weather episodes in South Carolina.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 670
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 3
- Damage
- $119,000
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Extreme Cold and Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 1, 2026A winter storm impacted much of southeast South Carolina with significant snow accumulations on January 31st along with very cold wind chill temperatures persisting into late morning February 1st.
- Extreme Cold and Heavy Snow in South Carolina, January 31, 2026A winter storm impacted much of southeast South Carolina with significant snow accumulations and very cold wind chill temperatures. An area of low pressure shifted off the Southeast coast while deepening, ushering in a very cold air mass across the region.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 26, 2004A mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow began falling over the area around 6 am. The light precipitation quickly changed to snow showers, falling heavily at times, with occasional thunder reported.
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in South Carolina, January 30, 2010A winter storm moved up the SC coast and produced snow, sleet, and freezing rain to Lancaster, Chesterfield, and Newberry counties. Freezing rain and some sleet fell in Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Saluda, Lexington, Richland, Sumter, and northern Clarendon counties.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 23, 2003Snow fell over most of northeast South Carolina, with between a half inch to near 2 inches reported by spotters, coop observers and law enforcement. The snowstorm caused most business to close, and all school districts decided to close their doors for the day.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 21 to 22, 2022A cold front shifted south through the region on January 20th, allowing cool and dry air from a polar air mass to begin filtering into the region.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 10, 2025An area of light precipitation developed just after sunrise and spread into portions of southeast South Carolina through the early afternoon hours. As the precipitation moved in, temperatures across the area were below freezing.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in South Carolina, November 1, 2014A deep upper core low moved through the western Midlands and produced 2 to 6 inches of snow in Saluda, western Lexington, and northwest Aiken counties and around an inch of snow in northeast Edgefield county.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, December 6, 1996Icy roads developed early in the morning following rain the previous day and evening resulting in numerous wrecks with some injuries (indirect).
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 29 to 30, 2000Weakening low pressure in the Ohio River Valley, developing low pressure along the Gulf Coast and cold, arctic air in place across the Carolinas resulted in an icy mess across Upstate South Carolina.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 18, 2007Widespread light precipitation, mainly in the form of freezing rain, produced light ice accretion, mainly across the foothills and piedmont during the morning hours. Accretion was mainly confined to elevated surfaces, although some slick spots developed on bridges and overpasses.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 29 to 30, 2010Precipitation began as light snow early in the evening across northern portions of the Upstate. By late evening, snow had mostly changed to sleet, except in areas along the North Carolina border.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 25, 2013Light sleet developed across much of the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia during the morning. The intermittent sleet eventually changed to light freezing rain in most areas by late afternoon.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 11, 2014Light to occasionally moderate snow began to overspread the Upstate South Carolina around daybreak and continued off and on through the day. By mid-evening, total accumulations ranged from 1 to 3 inches across much of the area, although isolated 4 inch amounts were reported.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 21 to 22, 2025A strong upper level trough moved into the southeastern US with a developing surface low moving near the Georgia and South Carolina coast.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 10 to 11, 2025A 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.
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 25, 2026A classic ice storm setup developed across the Midlands of South Carolina January 25th. Cold air damming at the surface and strong overrunning aloft produced light and moderate freezing across the Central Midlands with sleet predominant in the Northern Midlands.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 16, 1996Snow fell for much of the morning accumulating to several inches in some locations.
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in South Carolina, December 29, 1997Snow spread across the Upstate during the day, accumulating 1-2 inches in the mountains and 1-3 inches across the foothills and piedmont. The one exception being, the northern half of Spartanburg county where up to 6 inches of snow fell.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 7, 2017Low pressure tracking across the FL Panhandle enhanced moisture that was lifted up and over a cold polar airmass entrenched in the Midlands. This pattern increased potential for winter weather and travel hazards across the Northern and Central Midlands of SC.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, March 2, 2010Snow, mixed with rain at times, developed over the piedmont and foothills of South Carolina around sunrise. Despite bursts of moderate to heavy snow, a warm ground and above freezing temperatures caused much of the snow to melt upon impact.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 28, 2014Light snow developed over the Piedmont and foothills of the Western Carolinas during the afternoon and continued into the evening before tapering off. The snow initially melted on roads.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 3 to 4, 1996Light snow fell for several hours with accumulations ranging from a dusting to 3 inches. Some accidents were reported. Heaviest accumulations were from Oconee county into Anderson and north Abbeville counties.
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, December 13 to 14, 2000Low pressure moving northward through the Tennessee River Valley brought abundant moisture into Upstate South Carolina, initiating a cold air damming event for the region. The progressive surface high for the event was centered over New England.
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in South Carolina, January 16, 2022A cool surface high pressure air mass was centered over Eastern Canada and New England, directing cool low level air down the Eastern Seaboard, and into the Carolinas and Georgia. A strong upper level low, and associated surface low, moved east across our region.
More
Winter Weather everywhereEvery kind of event in South Carolina
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 2026-09-24.