Winter storm warning covering entirety of Lowcountry

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — The National Weather Service upgraded a winter storm watch to a warning, which is in effect for all of the Lowcountry.

Click here to download the free Live 5 First Alert Weather app.

The warning covers all of South Carolina’s 46 counties, including Charleston, Beaufort, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Williamsburg, Georgetown, Beaufort and Orangeburg counties.

WATCH: Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh hosts a live Q&A on Facebook ahead of Saturday’s snow:

Total snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches for portions of the Lowcountry under the warning, with locally higher amounts in Williamsburg and Georgetown Counties. There, along with other counties closer to the North Carolina border, an accumulation of 3 to 6 inches is possible.

The Live 5 Weather team has declared First Alert Weather Days for Saturday, Sunday and Monday because of an increasing chance of snow and bitterly cold temperatures to follow.

Walsh says the combination of a strong upper-level low and a developing coastal storm is creating the setup for potential precipitation Saturday morning through Sunday morning as a sharp trough digs southward from the Great Lakes and a surface low develops off the southeastern coast.

The air mass will be exceptionally cold this weekend, meaning any precipitation that falls will be snow rather than rain.

Winter Storm Watches, Warnings, extreme cold coming Friday and Saturday night

While snow is a better possibility this weekend than the previous two weekends, another big story is the dangerous cold moving in. With an Arctic high-pressure system moving through Friday, a particularly strong high will usher in much colder air Saturday.

Temperatures this weekend will be around 15 to 25 degrees below average for January, Hidalgo said.

Afternoon highs on Saturday and Sunday will only reach the 30s or 40s. Overnight lows will dip into the low 20s and as far as the teens for Sunday and Monday mornings, Hidalgo said.

The record low temperature for Monday is 19 degrees, set in 1980, he said. This Monday’s low could break that record.

Combined with elevated wind gusts, there is a growing concern for dangerous wind chills, particularly for Sunday and Monday mornings.

“Current forecast trends favor feels-like temperatures as low as the upper single digits, which could prompt Extreme Cold Watches or Warnings for portions of the Lowcountry,” he said.

Here is when watches and warnings are expected to take effect for each county:

• Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston have a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 7 a.m. Saturday until 1 p.m. Sunday
• Clarendon and Orangeburg will have a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 10 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Sunday
• Georgetown and Williamsburg will have a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 1 p.m. Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday
• Colleton and Beaufort have a Winter Storm Watch in effect from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon.

What to do for now

Prepare for cold weather this weekend. Make sure to charge devices in case the power goes out. Have an emergency kit ready in case you need to leave your home.

But if you do need to leave, Walsh said it’s important to keep road conditions in mind.

“Plan on at least some snow on roads and surfaces could be slippery,” he said. “Travel will not be impossible like an ice storm but could get sketchy depending on amounts.”

Take normal cold-weather precautions like bringing pets inside, protecting vulnerable plants, protecting exposed pipes and limiting outdoor activities.

Monitor Live5News.com and the Live 5 News and Live 5 First Alert Weather apps for the latest on the chances of precipitation and for any weather-related closings or cancellations.

Copyright 2026 WCSC. All rights reserved.