A late season cold snap is expected for parts of the Palmetto State Wednesday night with temperatures expected to lower close to freezing.
An upper level low pressure system over the Great Lakes Wednesday afternoon will continue to push eastward Wednesday night and into Thursday dragging a cold front through the Southeast. Breezy northerly winds behind the passage of the front will filter dry and cooler air into parts of South Carolina. Temperatures are anticipated to be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than seasonal normals during the overnight, which will bring some locations close to the freezing mark Thursday morning.
A Frost Advisory has been issued for most of the Upstate and Midlands through Thursday morning. A Freeze Warning has been issued for extreme northwesterly parts of the Upstate. Temperatures are expected to fall into the mid 30s in the advisory area with a better chance for below freezing temperatures in the Upstate region.
A high pressure system will gradually build into the Southeast Thursday which will continue to deliver cool temperatures and very dry conditions. This will not only contribute to below average temperatures throughout the day Thursday, but also elevate the fire risk across the majority of the state. A Red Flag Warning will remain in effect through the area. Strong winds, dry fuels, and a low relative humidity will present a high fire danger risk to the area.
The average last freeze and frost dates typically takes place in late March to early April with some higher elevations experiencing overnight freezes through mid-April. Frosty conditions are possible again for Thursday night and into Friday morning as high pressure remains over the Southeast.