The state Department of Transportation says it's ready for the winter storm that could bring a mix of ice, sleet and snow to parts of South Carolina starting the morning of Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (File photo courtesy of SCDOT)
COLUMBIA — Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Wednesday ahead of an expected winter storm that could bring a mix of sleet, ice and snow to parts of South Carolina.
Forecasters say widespread power outages are possible and could last for multiple days.
The governor’s order activates the state Emergency Operations Plan and allows the National Guard to call up troops and prepare equipment. It also means South Carolina’s anti-price-gouging law is in effect. Businesses or individual sellers who jack up prices amid a declared emergency can be fined $1,000 and jailed up to 30 days.
“Preparations are already underway by state agencies, and this State of Emergency ensures Team South Carolina is ready to respond and support communities as conditions develop,” McMaster said in a release.
The National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a winter storm watch for Upstate South Carolina, effective from 7 a.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Monday. A winter storm watch for Chesterfield and Lancaster counties also starts Saturday morning. A watch means heavy snow, freezing rain or sleet is possible.
McMaster urged residents to get prepared, saying “winter weather can chance quickly and create hazardous conditions with little notice.”
The state Department of Transportation posted on social media that “it’s ready for whatever winter weather brings to our state.” That includes having 60,000 tons of salt and 1,200 pieces of equipment staged statewide to treat roadways where needed, according to the post.
The state Emergency Management Division has an online guide for winter weather preparedness. Advice includes:
It’s been 12 years since a major ice storm crippled parts of South Carolina. In February 2014, more than an inch of ice accumulated, downing trees and power lines and leaving more than 350,000 people without power at the storm’s peak.
While in Aiken to survey the damage, then-Gov. Nikki Haley compared the destruction to Hurricane Hugo, which came ashore in Charleston County in 1989 and has been the benchmark since for natural disasters in South Carolina. However, Helene, which came through the Palmetto State as a tropical storm in September 2024, killed more people than Hugo to become the deadliest storm in South Carolina’s history.
