Palmetto Proving Grounds

Yes if this models are right/ The main thing is to keep the sleet down for as long as possible and get the heavy snow 1st.

Well, I bailed on you last time in the 11th hour and was proved wrong and you were dead on. I'm not good at reading the graphs...what do you think for downtown Columbia?

Several Inches Of Snow Possible

Snow Expected To Begin Sunday Night, John Cessarich Says

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- There is a possibility that the Upstate could see several inches of snow starting on Sunday night, with the heaviest snow falling on Monday.

WYFF News 4’s Chief Meteorologist John Cessarich says predicting a storm like this is difficult because there are 5-10 variables that can determine the outcome and just how much snow will fall.

The track, timing and temperatures will determine what part of the region will get rain, freezing rain or snow -- and how much.

John said he is confident that this will be a major storm that will drop at least 2-5 inches in the Upstate.

John said that he has been watching the system since last Monday, and some of its traits are similar to the system that dumps a foot of snow in the Upstate in 1988, crippling the area for days.

The storm could especially be a big problem for the mountains, where 2-6 inches of snow is expected to fall through Saturday morning.

Untreated roads in the mountains were already snow covered and icy in some spots on Thursday, and the snow continued to fall Friday.

John said he will be keeping a close eye on the approaching system, and recommends that Upstate residents stay informed before making any travel plans, especially Sunday night and Monday.

And it's not just snow that's in the forecast. John says that the Sunday-Monday storm will usher in several days of bitter cold, making it likely that any snow that falls is likely to stay on the ground for a while.

rock hill is orange, so thats 10", no way we will get that much snow. at least i've never seen that much in my life here.

Looks like I'm sledding to work next week...

Its going to be cold for awhile. This is going to be around.

Blog:

Latest 0z GFS Bufkit data. 13.4 inches of snow at GSP with .24 inches of freezing rain to end.

The snowfall accumulation maps yall keep showing don't account for ice...fwiw..

ice is going to be the least of the problems with the storm I do not see where nobody will get no more than .25 inch of ice.

GSP has finally issued a WSW! BTW, I hate that these geeks can't do anything but all CAPS!

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
420 AM EST SAT JAN 8 2011

...SNOW SHOWERS AND ICY ROADS EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS MUCH OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS...
...MAJOR WINTER STORM EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY...

.NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE
NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS TODAY...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE TENNESSEE
BORDER. TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING WILL FURTHER CREATE DANGEROUS
ROAD CONDITIONS IN MANY NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS TODAY.
MEANWHILE...A MAJOR STORM SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP IN THE NORTHERN GULF
AND MEXICO THROUGH SUNDAY AND MOVE OFF THE SOUTHEAST COASTLINE BY
TUESDAY. ACCUMULATING SNOW AND ICE ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MOST OF THE
WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY NIGHT...WITH HEAVY SNOW POSSIBLE.

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ509-510-SCZ001>007-010>013-019-
081700-
/O.NEW.KGSP.WS.A.0001.110110T0000Z-110111T1100Z/
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-POLK MOUNTAINS-
EASTERN POLK-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-PICKENS MOUNTAINS-
GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE-GREATER PICKENS-
GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-
UNION SC-GREENWOOD-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLAYTON...CLARKESVILLE...TOCCOA...
HARTWELL...ELBERTON...COLUMBUS...GREENVILLE...SPARTANBURG...
ANDERSON...ABBEVILLE...LAURENS...UNION...GREENWOOD
420 AM EST SAT JAN 8 2011

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE
MONDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED
A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING
THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT.

* LOCATIONS...NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

* HAZARDS...HEAVY SNOWFALL...MIXED WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN AT
TIMES.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL BEGIN FROM THE SOUTHWEST SUNDAY NIGHT...WITH
THE HEAVIEST SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY OCCURRING DURING THE DAY ON
MONDAY. A GRADUAL TRANSITION TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL
OCCUR FROM SOUTH TO NORTH LATE IN THE DAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.

* ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES WILL BE
POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH
CAROLINA...WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE. ICE
ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TENTH OF AN INCH OR LESS ARE EXPECTED ALONG
AND SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 85 THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AS WELL.

* IMPACTS...ROADS WILL QUICKLY BECOME SNOW COVERED AND VERY
SLIPPERY EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY SNOW
EARLY IN THE DAY ON MONDAY WITH LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS LATER
IN THE DAY COULD PRODUCE ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES MONDAY NIGHT.

* TEMPERATURES...HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S
THROUGHOUT THE STORM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

Is is from last night about 1am... I was off to bed by then:

Andy Wood 12:48 am on January 8, 2011

Bottom Line as of Now: Most of the data today has revealed a trend of bringing more moisture with the system as it moves in. I can’t say this is a surprise due to the upper-level dynamics associated with developing the snow on the northern side of this storm, PLUS models seem to always play catch-up with moisture late in the game. Also, forecast data reveals a long duration of heavy snow from overnight Sunday through around Noon Monday before some sleet starts to mix in on Monday afternoon.

We expect initial accumulations in the Upstate and northeast Georgia of 4-8″ with isolated spots reaching 9″. The time-frame of heaviest snow will be 10pm Sunday (western Upstate and northeast GA) through Noon on Monday. Sleet will most likely mix in over a good portion of the Upstate and compress the already lofty accumulations. This will mean a dense layer of 3-6 and 4-7″ accumulations are likely by Monday night.

Western NC Mountains towns will see snow begin Sunday night and continue through much of the day on Monday. I expect that the southern NC mountain locations will pick up the heaviest snow initially before upslope gears back up on Tuesday. Overall, 6-12+” in Western NC over the entire range. Additional snow will accumulate along the high ridgetops of Graham, Swain, Haywood, Madison, Yancey and Mitchell on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Roads up there will not be good.

Importantly: Once the snow starts, surface temperatures WILL b below zero. We expect a range of temperatures in the neighborhood of 27-31 on Monday with many towns holding around 29 or 30. I say this to point out how difficult travel will become on the roads overnight Sunday night and especially Monday morning. It will be best to stay at the house.

Bitter Cold Following Storm: Lingering clouds and temperatures in the 20s and teens will make for extended problems on roads next week.