Myrtle Beach area expecting 4-6 inches of snow

MYRTLE BEACH — With the Myrtle Beach area expecting at least 4-6 inches of snow this weekend, Horry County crews plan to convert backhoes and motor graders into makeshift snowplows.

On Jan. 29, county workers were staging the heavy equipment, which is normally used for road projects. The Grand Strand doesn’t have a fleet of snowplows because the area doesn’t often see heavy snow, so local officials are improvising.

“It’s one of those things where we will use whatever resources we have to to fit the situation we’re in,” county spokesman Thomas Bell said.

Horry and Georgetown counties are under winter storm and extreme weather watches, but forecasters say those will likely become warnings by late Jan. 30.

Brandon Locklear, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said residents could see a wintry mix during the day on Jan. 31 with the bulk of the snow falling that night. 

Along with the snow, the area will also be extremely cold and windy, according to Locklear. Lows are predicted to stay below freezing through Feb. 4, with windchills making things feel even colder. 

Snow is expected to stop on the morning of Feb. 1, but impacts from these wintry conditions will likely extend well into next week. Some snow will melt as the temperature climbs to around 40 degrees on Feb. 2, but it will refreeze during the night, Locklear said.

The S.C. Department of Transportation is already treating some state roads in the area. At the county, the focus will be on treating bridges and high-volume county roads. 

Georgetown County Emergency Services Director Brandon Ellis said that county has initiated internal coordination efforts to prepare for the weekend weather, including bringing in extra fire and EMS staff throughout the weekend.

Ellis said SCDOT will treat the primary routes in the area, but Georgetown County could also utilize motor graders to remove snow if needed. Ellis said his main concerns are road conditions and the fact that the snow and wind could create white-out conditions. 

Santee Cooper is completing its freeze protection checklist and working with neighboring utilities to make sure that everyone stays covered, the utility’s spokeswoman Tracy Vreeland said.

Area utilities are not expecting power outages from the snow, but strong winds in the system could pose a threat to power lines if trees or limbs end up falling or road conditions cause car accidents, said Jennifer Cummings, a spokeswoman for Horry Electric.

“We are going to treat this like any other storm, so crews will be on standby to respond to outages,” Cummings said.

Myrtle Beach spokeswoman Meredith Denari said the city is encouraging residents to stay home Jan. 31 into Feb. 1. She said they should plan to pick up needed groceries and prescriptions before the storm hits.