Extreme cold air on the way, but do not panic

Any winter precipitation that falls today and tonight will not accumulate on road with ground and air temperatures above freezing, is how a statewide forecaster based at Columbia sees it.  Frank Strait, the South Carolina severe weather liaison, predicts extreme cold air for the state on Friday, to linger at least through Monday.  Cold enough to risk exposed plumbing and poorly maintained automotive cooling systems.  Air cold enough for something frozen to fall through this evening.  Some wet snowflakes can mix in, and we might see primarily or all snow for a time in the Upstate and Catawba River area.  But the air and ground temperatures are above freezing across those areas, so no accumulation will occur.  Straight finished his alert this way:  “For now, there is still no definitive signal for a winter storm.  Some models show a potential winter storm on the 27th, a week from today, and it can’t be ruled out.  However, it isn’t something to get excited about just yet.”