‘All signs are pointing to an icy event’: Grand Strand residents urged to be vigilant

Jenna Farhat
·2 min read
During a 2015 winter storm, the Hwy. 9/17 span bridge from Little River to North Myrtle Beach was closed Tuesday morning due to freezing roadways. A winter storm moved into the area Tuesday bringing sleet, freezing rain, and a dusting of snow to parts of Horry County. Feb. 24, 2015.

While the Grand Strand is under winter storm watch, here’s what to expect this weekend.

Icy conditions are expected – it’s just a matter of where and how much, said Steve Pfaff with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

Pfaff said the Grand Strand experiences one winter weather event a year on average.

The last time the area experienced a “considerable” ice storm was February 2014, Pfaff said.

The “catastrophic” 2014 storm caused damage across the Pee Dee region and western portions of Horry County, Pfaff said.

“Right now, it doesn’t (look like it will be as bad as February 2014), but it’s certainly going to be one of the more impactful winter weather events since that time, regarding freezing rain,” he said.

The main threat appears to be from freezing rain and sleet as temperatures drop below freezing Friday morning. Dangers include hazardous driving conditions and power outages caused by downed trees and power lines.

“It only takes a quarter inch of freezing rain to add hundreds of pounds of weight onto trees. We’ve had people hit by falling debris from the trees,” Pfaff said.

The threat of inclement weather caused Horry County Schools to move classes online Friday, the district announced Thursday afternoon.

“What we don’t know with 100 percent certainty at this time is where and how much there is going to be freezing rain accumulation,” Pfaff said.

Slick walkways, patios and sidewalks can cause people to slip and fall, especially when “it might not even look like there’s ice,” Pfaff said.

Pfaff warned of the dangers of improperly-placed supplemental heating.

With power outages possible, Pfaff urged people to properly ventilate power generators.

“We’ve lost people due to carbon monoxide poisoning due to poor venting of heat sources,” Pfaff said.

Pfaff said that while the possibility of snow shouldn’t be ruled out, most snowfall is expected to come north of the Grand Strand.

He emphasized that people avoid travel this weekend while roads are in dangerous conditions.

“I wish we could dodge a bullet on this one but it looks like all signs are pointing to an icy event. The big question is how much and who gets it.”