Wintermageddon is Upon Us

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by WILL FOLKS

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An Arctic blast billed as the most expansive and potentially devastating winter storm system in a generation began its slow march across the American mainland on Saturday (January 24, 2026), with the first snow flakes, sleet pellets and frozen precipitation falling on South Carolina beginning Saturday afternoon.

“Reports of flurries and isolated sleet across the North Carolina mountains and western South Carolina Upstate have started coming in,” the Upstate’s National Weather Service (NWS) office noted at approximately 1:03 p.m. EST on Saturday.

The system – dubbed “Wintermageddon” – is forecast to bring bitter cold, crippling ice and widespread power outages across South Carolina (particularly the Upstate) over the next 24-48 hours. Those outages could extend well into next week depending on how fast crews are able to navigate treacherous road conditions to address them.

Approximately 27 of the Palmetto State’s 46 counties – including the entire Upstate and broad swaths of the Midlands – were under an ice storm warning on Saturday morning.

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Significant ice impacts were projected for Abbeville, Anderson, Chester, Gaffney, Greenville, Lancaster, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Union and York counties, in particular – with all or parts of each of those counties projected to receive between 0.5″ and 0.75″ of ice accumulation between now and Sunday.

Numerous other counties in the Midlands region of the state were forecast to receive up to 0.5″ of ice.

While that may not sound like a lot, just a quarter-inch of ice accumulation can lead to downed limbs and branches – causing isolated power outages. A half-inch of ice can cause lines to collapse under added weight, leading to widespread power outages – while 0.75″ can bring down poles and caused extended, catastrophic outages across entire regions.

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Here are the latest forecast's ice and sleet accumulations. Still expecting widespread impacts, including impassable roadways and power outages. Stay safe, stay warm, and report your ice totals to us! #ncwx #scwx #gawx pic.twitter.com/ncxN98mSWS

— NWS GSP (@NWSGSP) January 24, 2026

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How serious a potential situation are we dealing with? If government weather warnings weren’t enough to scare you, Waffle House shut down numerous locations in and around Greenville, S.C. and Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday – a tried and true indicator of the seriousness of the impending danger.

The storm’s escalation is expected to happen quickly. By nightfall on Saturday, the Upstate is expected to be receiving its first sustained sprinkling of winter precipitation – a mix of sleet and freezing rain. Little accumulation is expected at first, but by late Saturday freezing rain is forecast to intensify across the Upstate – glazing roofs, decks, porches, sidewalks, roads and power lines.

This is when things could start deteriorating quickly…

Ice accumulation is forecast to build up during the early morning hours with dawn on Sunday (January 25, 2026) bringing with it potentially deadly travel conditions and widespread power outages. Churches across the Palmetto State have canceled services – or scheduled virtual services – in anticipation of roads across the state becoming impassable by Sunday morning.

Throughout Sunday, frozen precipitation will continue – with cold temperatures persisting through most of the coming week.

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NEWS RELEASE: South Carolina moves to OPCON 1 Ahead of Winter Weather. Read more here: https://t.co/zr9VNWVNjS pic.twitter.com/TBMRmf8dB7

— SC Emergency Management Division (@SCEMD) January 24, 2026

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Officials with the S.C. Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) moved to operational condition level one – a.k.a. “Opcon 1” – ahead of the storm’s arrival, indicating “a disaster or emergency is imminent or occurring.” Governor Henry McMaster warned on Saturday afternoon it was time for Palmetto State residents to “hunker down.”

“Power outages will occur — especially in the Upstate, so charge your phone now and conserve your battery,” McMaster wrote on X. “Stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Check on your family, friends, and neighbors throughout the weekend. Team South Carolina is prepared, and we will get through this storm together.”

McMaster previously declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, and on Saturday morning he announced that U.S. president Donald Trump had approved the Palmetto State’s request for a disaster declaration – authorizing federal emergency assistance to South Carolina.

This is a developing post… keep it tuned to FITSNews as we track Wintermageddon‘s impacts…

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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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