UPDATE: Extended period of freezing rain is possible for Rock Hill, NWS says

There’s little doubt Rock Hill will be hit by a winter storm this weekend, and forecasters say it appears York County is likely to get more freezing rain than snow.

That means dangerous roads, slippery sidewalks, falling tree limbs and power outages due to downed power lines.

Rock Hill road crews have already begun brining roads, with the city posting a video of a truck out Thursday morning to its Facebook page.

“It’s not every day that crews get to prepare for a winter storm in the South,” the city posted.

A Winter Storm Watch issued for the Carolinas covers Saturday morning though Monday morning, and it reports parts of the watch area could see “total snow and sleet accumulations between 1 and 3 inches and ice accumulations between one half and one inch.”

Forecasters have predicted “light sleet accumulation” could occur in Rock Hill on Saturday night.

The city has a 50% chance of freezing rain starting Saturday afternoon, and it will increase to 100% after sunset when temperatures fall to 20 degrees.

‘Preparations for a significant winter storm’

The freezing rain is expected to continue through Sunday (100% chance) and Sunday night (80% chance). The high Sunday will be around 30 and the low will be in the lower 20s, forecasters say.

“Locations of Upstate SC ... have a 40-50% chance of total ice accumulations greater than 0.5 (of an inch). As for snow, the likelihood of snow accumulations greater than 4 inches are 35-45% for locations north of I-40,” the National Weather Service says.

“But the main focus at this time should be preparations for a significant winter storm. ... Wintry precipitation, whether its ice, sleet, or snow are going to have widespread impacts making for hazardous travel and power outages that could last for days.”

People are being encouraged to delay all travel and to use “extreme caution” when venturing outside.

Snowfall prediction for Rock Hill region

Projections show a 46% chance that snow will fall in the Rock Hill region, according to a National Weather Service graphic posted Tuesday. But the expected snowfall is half an inch in Rock Hill, with a high-end amount of 1 inch.

Chester and Charlotte have the same probabilities listed. Lancaster has a weekend forecast of .6 inches of snow.

This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 6:12 AM.