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by WILL FOLKS
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Broad swaths of the American South – including South Carolina – are bracing for the arrival of a major winter storm system this coming weekend. Impacts from the system could begin to be felt as soon as Friday (January 23, 2026) – and could potentially linger well into the following week.
Forecast models are, as always, in disagreement as to the exact direction and intensity of the system – but the arrival of frigid temperatures and the increasing likelihood of frozen precipitation have raised alarms.
“Every utility truck should be ready to head south for potential of catastrophic power losses due to trees/lines down similar to destruction of (a) hurricane traveling from Texas to North Carolina over land,” meteorologist Ryan Maue wrote on X. “Brutally cold temperatures will turn deadly without power. This will be a 2-3 day precipitation event but the freezing cold remains for a week.”
Maue has been posting forecast models for the past several days, commenting on the potential for a “historic Arctic blast” emanating from the latest polar vortex…
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Amateur hour is over
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) January 20, 2026
There are a lot of weather maps out there on social media (vast majority of which I created) but I think you need to stay focused on QPF that is partitioned by P-Type.
You need to know much of each rain/snow/ice/frz rain/sleet will fall at your location. pic.twitter.com/hFJ9uuFHZk
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According to Maue, an “onslaught of freezing rain, ice, and snowfall” will fall “from Texas to Georgia and the Carolinas from Friday to Sunday.” While some areas of the country will be subjected to blizzard conditions, others will experience what Maue described as a “full tilt ice storm.”
“We’re about to witness a truly legendary winter storm setup in the southern United States later this week,” meteorologist Eric Webb concurred. “A near record-breaking Arctic air mass combining with an atmospheric river of moisture originating from the East Pacific will lead to a ridiculous amount of snow/ice.”
The only question? Where the dividing line of the precipitation will fall…
Local weather analyst Mitch West has been tracking forecasts in anticipation of the storm front’s arrival, and is projecting a “long duration winter storm” across the southeast.
“This has the potential to be a 24-48 hour event for many areas,” West noted.
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Confidence in winter storm impacts across our forecast area continues to increase. The map on the right displays the percent chance for moderate impacts from a potential winter storm. This probability has risen to 40 to 60 percent from 30 to 50 percent yesterday. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/yQrN0S6Mau
— NWS Columbia (@NWSColumbia) January 20, 2026
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What should South Carolinians do?
“Winter storms can knock out power and keep you from traveling for days,” the Upstate office of the National Weather Service (NWS) warned. “Keep enough non-perishable food, water, medications for at least three days.”
NWS officials are also urging residents to make sure they have plenty of warm clothing and blankets – as well as updated first aid kits. Stocking up on fuel for vehicles and heating sources is a good idea, too.
And pets… don’t forget to bring them inside as the weather turns.
“Now is the time to begin preparing for the possibility of an extended period of wintry weather followed by very cold temperatures,” the Columbia NWS office noted.
Stay tuned for additional updates as forecasts tighten in the coming days…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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2 comments
Wintermageddon?
Argh!