Snow, freezing rain make their way through Aiken and CSRA

Alexandra Koch, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·3 min read

Jan. 22—A wintry mix of snow and freezing rain covered Aiken County cars, homes and roads Friday night as a cold front moved through South Carolina.

The cold front sagged southward on Thursday and Friday, pushing cold air into the region, according to the National Weather Service in Columbia.

"As this occurred, a system approached and forced widespread precipitation on the evening of January 21st," the NWS said on social media Saturday afternoon. "This brought a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow to the Midlands and CSRA, with totals nearing four inches noted across the Pee Dee region."

Aiken County and Edgefield County received one to two inches of snowfall, according to the NWS.

Even though the amount of snow in the county wasn't very impressive, Nick Casares, of Aiken, said he was still excited to see a glimpse of winter weather in the South.

"It's a rare occurrence down here, so it's definitely exciting to see something like snow," Casares said.

Just like many locals, Casares said he made sure to prepare for the inclement weather.

"I made sure my car was filled up on gas and I had groceries in case the snow caused trees to fall down, like it did years ago, and block the roads," he said.

While most of the snow has melted, the threat of icy roads and dangerous driving conditions is still present as water freezes on roadways.

The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement at 4:37 a.m. Saturday cautioning Aiken County and Edgefield County residents. Because of a slow rise in temperature, officials urged drivers to use caution as they were driving that Saturday morning due to the possibility of slick and snow covered roads.

Just before 7:15 a.m. Saturday, the South Carolina Highway Patrol responded to Martintown Road and Jefferson Davis Highway and Ascauga Lake Road and Canal Street in reference to ice and snow on the roadways. The S.C. Department of Transportation was notified.

Around 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Highway Patrol responded to Atomic Road and Jefferson Davis Highway in reference to ice and snow on the roadway. The S.C. Department of Transportation was notified. Ice and snow was also reported on I-20 in Aiken County.

Highway Patrol did not respond to any incidents in Edgefield County.

Power outages

On Friday, Aiken County Emergency Management Director Paul Matthews said South Carolina Emergency Management was not anticipating any major power outages in Aiken County.

As of 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, there were no reported power outages in Aiken County or Edgefield County, according to Dominion Energy.

Dominion Energy mobilized over 2,000 company employees across the state in preparation for the inclement weather, according to Paul Fischer, senior communications specialist, who spoke with the Aiken Standard on Friday.

Aiken Electric Co-op did not report any outages, as of 4 p.m. However, they said their crews and additional contractor crews have their trucks fully equipped and are on standby.

If members find themselves experiencing an outage at any time, the quickest way to alert the dispatch center is by calling or texting "OUT" to 1-877-264-5368. Members can also report outages through the AEC mobile app. A live outage map can be viewed at aikenco-op.org.