Officials warn of black ice, churches close after York Co. snow

Published: February 17, 2013 

A wintry weather advisory has ended as the sunshine and warmer temperatures melted much of the snow that covered York County in white on Saturday.

Anywhere from two to 4 inches of snow was dumped on the area as "thunder snow" caught residents off guard just after 4 p.m. Saturday.

Several churches in the area ran on a closed or delayed schedule Sunday, and drivers were warned to watch for black ice.

Sunday's high in Rock Hill is forecast at 45 degrees before dipping back into the low 20s Sunday night.

By that time, most of the snow on the ground will have melted and residual water puddles will have evaporated, said Neil Dixon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Before the "snow pack" moved into the area, road temperatures in the county were already in the 40s, Dixon said. For the most part, much of the snow on the roads have melted, leaving behind moisture and slush.

Freezing water turning into ice "should be less of a problem" Sunday night and Monday morning, Dixon said. Highs for Monday will be in the 50s accompanied by rays of sunshine.

Sunday morning, Rock Hill, York, Clover and Fort Mill Police reported no major snow-related accidents or crashes overnight. Troopers with the Highway Patrol responded to one crash without injuries on S.C. 97 in Sharon around 6:30 a.m. Troopers haven't reported fatal crashes on roads in Chester, York or Lancaster counties.

Aside from a few cars in ditches, York County emergency crews hadn't responded to any major incidents overnight, said Cotton Howell, director for the county's emergency management team. Some people, he said, "took it a little bit faster than they should" on roads sheathed in ice.

Still, Howell said the snow showers didn't cause any major, widespread power outages. Traffic on the roads was bare, with most people opting to stay inside. And, since Monday is President's Day, Howell doesn't anticipate much travel or congestion on the county's roads.

"If you have to have snow, this is probably as good as it's going to get," he said.

When the white stuff first began to fall Saturday, several drivers found themselves stranded in their cars or stuck in ditches, especially at the northern end of the county, said Morris Russell, Lancaster emergency management director.

None of the wrecks were serious, he said, adding that crews have taken to the streets Sunday morning to help as many as possible.

In Chester County, the showers knocked out power for about 500 customers in Great Falls who drew electricity from one power pole. Crews managed to repair the pole and restore power for residents, said Eddie Murphy, Chester County's emergency management director.

Officials also helped a stranded motorist who ended up at the Fairfield County line, Murphy said.

"Other than that, Chester's been completely quiet," he said.

As people leave their homes later in the day, Murphy said his crews will be out watching for drivers sliding on the roads.

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