Could snow be in the forecast for Beaufort, SC in the near future? Some meteorologists say it’s very possible that we could see some here in the Lowcountry next week on Wednesday, January 22nd.
10 day forecasts indicate that an Arctic (Siberian) air mass and higher chances of precipitation will collide with one another in the Lowcountry on January 21st & 22nd, and the forecast from The Weather Channel calls for rain and show showers on the 22nd here in Beaufort, with 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
But it’s still unclear exactly how the system will act, and it’s unlikely to be only snow that is forecasted.
Now, we know this forecast will most likely change, but, we’re still a bit excited, and also a bit nervous.
Snow and ice storms, coupled with cold temperatures, periodically do threaten South Carolina. All it takes is a few factors to line up.
When cold air makes its way south and connects with warmer, moister air…the propensity for snow occurs. With the way temperatures are here along the coast and the changes in temps as you move further inland away from the ocean, when these events do happen, we tend to see a period of liquid rain, a period of freezing rain, and then the snow.
It just depends on how cold it gets.
Heavy snowfall and extreme cold can immobilize an entire region. Even areas that normally experience mild winters can be hit with a major snowstorm or extreme cold. Winter storms can damage property, create safety risks, destroy crops and valuable timber, damage infrastructure components such as power lines and have enormous economic impacts…and they can sure be one heck of an inconvenience.
We don’t have salt trucks and snow plows here in Beaufort SC. Most natives don’t even know how to safely navigate their vehicles on snow covered roads. Recent snowfall has shown us that.
The last time Beaufort, SC saw a significant amount of snow was January 3, 2018. We got some five to six inches of snow and the Lowcountry froze over and most parts of it came to a standstill for four or five days; and Beaufort was a ghost town, with the exception of children and families going out to play in it.
Snow has repeatedly blanketed other parts of the country so far this season with our friends in the northeast getting hit constantly.
Yes, we aren’t up north, but during the winter months in the Lowcountry, it helps to stay aware, because winter weather isn’t a joke around these parts. And, you just never know when it’ll be headed our way. After all, nobody expected what happened in 2018, either.
Will it snow?
Who knows.
Beaufort, SC is beautiful every single day of the year. But, it looks exceptionally beautiful when its landscape is covered in snow.
We can only hope for some Lowcountry snow.
