Ice eases in Rock Hill area but 10 degree cold looms. School canceled Tuesday
Some roads in the Rock Hill area remained icy Monday after a winter storm dumped sleet and some freezing rain that caused schools to close and left some people with power outages.
Concern over road conditions even after melting Monday pushed school districts in York, Chester, and Lancaster counties to again close campuses Tuesday after all were shuttered Monday.
The area appears to have been generally spared widespread power outages, officials said.
Even with sun Monday and temperatures expected over the freezing mark to help melt the ice, law enforcement officials remain concerned about travel safety through Tuesday morning as even colder air arrives.
Forecast: Cold days, colder nights
A cold weather advisory remains in effect because the area could see temperatures around 10 degrees Monday night into Tuesday, the National Weather Service forecast showed.
Days will be mainly sunny the rest of the week with highs in the upper 20s to around 40, but nights will dip into the teens.
Roads, bridges still icy in places
There were no fatal crashes or even major incidents on area roads Sunday as most people heeded warnings from emergency officials and stayed off the road, said Master Trooper Hannah Davidson of the S.C. Highway Patrol. Main arteries such as Interstate 77 are mainly clear, she said.
“But secondary roads, county roads still are icy,” Davidson said.
Officials with the York County Sheriff’s Office and Rock Hill Police Department urged people to stay home Monday if possible until neighborhoods and streets are passable. That caution remains in effect through Tuesday morning as roads could re-freeze with black ice .
“Bridges are always a concern when it gets that cold,” said Rock Hill police Lt. Michael Chavis.
Ben Grant, Rock Hill Fire Department chief, told The Herald there were no incidents from Sunday night overnight into Monday.
Power outages way down from Sunday
More than 1,700 customers in the three counties had power outages at some point Sunday, but by Monday after 9 a.m. there were only around 200 without service, according to the Duke Energy outage map.
Those were scattered around York County and rural Lancaster County, the map showed.
Rock Hill Utilities and York Electric Cooperative, the other two electricity providers in the area, reported no outages Monday.
Trash pickup — and no parade
County offices in York, Chester and Lancaster remain closed Monday but officials have not yet said if normal facility operations will resume Tuesday.
That includes York County collection and recycling centers and the county landfill.
Because the landfill that accepts waste after trucks are full is closed Monday, Rock Hill officials said trash pickup will run regular routes but could be delayed this week. Residents who have city waste services are asked to leave carts at the curb and sanitation crews will pick them up as soon as possible.
Rock Hill city parks and trails were also closed Monday. It remains unclear if the cancelled “Parade of Champions” planned for Monday to honor state championship athletic teams will be rescheduled.
This story was originally published January 26, 2026 at 10:23 AM.
