Bracing for a major winter storm with snow, ice and more. Here’s what you can expect:

The first major winter storm of the season is expected to impact South Carolina in less than 24 hours. Expect snow in the mountains and a wintry mix throughout the day as far east as the Midlands.

A large swath of ice can’t be ruled out for parts of the Upstate and Midlands. The wintry mess will likely snarl travel and in some cases icing could be heavy enough to cause scattered power outages. By Friday night, the precipitation should transition into freezing rain along I-85 and as far southeast as the Columbia metro area.

Here’s a look at what you can expect where you live:

Greenville/Spartanburg and surrounding areas: The bulk of the heavy winter weather will be confined to the Upstate region, which is under a Winter Storm Warning. Snow, sleet, and ice will make many roads treacherous and impassable Friday into early Saturday morning. The weight of the snow and ice on tree limbs and power lines could produce scattered to numerous outages. Expect hazardous conditions for the Friday morning and evening commutes with travel impacts likely through at least early Saturday morning.

Black ice will be a concern Saturday night into Sunday morning, especially on untreated roads. Some lingering black ice can’t be ruled out Sunday night, especially for areas that remain below freezing and for any areas confined to shade during the day.

Columbia and surrounding areas:

The winter storm is expected to push into the Midlands Friday and Friday night, bringing sleet and freezing rain across the northern 2/3rds of the area. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Columbia upgraded all Winter Storm Watches to Winter Storm Warnings, and issued Winter Weather Advisories for areas along and just south of the I-20 corridor. Forecasters say their confidence has increased that there could be more significant ice accumulations with the greatest impacts expected late Friday afternoon/Friday evening into the overnight hours. Depending on how the storm evolves, the Midlands should expect up to 0.25" of freezing rain and up to 0.5" of snow/sleet. These accumulations could create challenges with travel on Friday night, and may put a strain on the area trees. This is especially true across the western Midlands and CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) where many of the trees are still weak from Hurricane Helene's impact back in September.

A Winter Weather Advisory is also up along the I-20 corridor, including the Augusta and Columbia Metro areas. This area can expect a trace of freezing rain up to maybe 0.2" if temps remain cold enough long enough.

Key Message(s):

- A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 10am Friday until 7am Saturday for our northern and northwestern counties.

- A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 10am Friday until 4am Saturday for our counties along and just south of the I-20 corridor.

-Impactful Winter Storm Expected on Friday night, with sleet and freezing rain likely…

- Some uncertainty regarding surface temperatures remains, especially in the Advisory area, but confidence has grown over the previous 24 hours.

Charleston and surrounding areas: A slight chance of freezing rain and snow for many areas Friday morning. An initial shot of very light precipitation will push from south to north over the area between 6 AM and 10 AM tomorrow while temps are below freezing. While most of this will likely evaporate before reaching the ground, some localized enhanced precipitation rates near an elevated warm front could produce a few hundredths or a trace of ice here and there along with a few bursts of light snow or snow flurries. The overall impact for freezing rain is quite small, but not zero. The biggest risk for winter weather impacts still looks to remain well to the west and north of the Lowcountry. However, it’s important to remember, just a slight deviation in the storm track could mean adjustments on Friday so stay weather aware throughout the day.

Florence and surrounding areas: There are a lot of questions swirling around tomorrow’s winter storm and what the Pee Dee region can expect. Forecasters with the National Weather Service expect a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain inland and a little sleet and spotty rain along the coast.

As we head through the evening and overnight, a layer of warm air will slowly cause any snow and sleet to transition to a brief period of freezing rain and then plain rain. The transition from frozen precipitation to rain will occur from southeast to northwest. Lingering cold rain will move out within a few hours of sunrise Saturday.

While a brief period of snow & sleet is possible inland, no accumulations are expected. With below-freezing air hanging on the longest, north of a line from Lumberton to Dillon to Florence to Sumter, a light glaze of ice is possible. Elsewhere inland, very little to no accumulation of ice is expected.

You can also stay up to date, be prepared and stay safe during the winter storm by visiting scetv.org/weather or South Carolina ETV's social media channels for the latest weather updates and crucial information.

The storm system is forecast to be out of South Carolina by Saturday morning, with dry and cold weather continuing well into next week.