Rock Hill region could see up to 8 inches of snow, strong winds this weekend
After dodging the worst impacts from a massive ice storm last weekend, the Rock Hill region could see half a foot or more of snow this weekend, according to weather forecasts.
The National Weather Service issued several winter storm watches on Thursday morning, including one for much of the Rock Hill region that runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.
York and Chester counties are part of a three-state, more than 40-county region where the forecast predicts up to 7 inches of snow. It could accumulate between 4 and 7 inches east of Interstate 26, and between 2 and 4 inches throughout the region.
Wind gusts are expected at 25 to 35 mph.
A map from the weather service showing total snowfall from the storm shows Rock Hill, Chester and Charlotte getting 6 to 8 inches of snow.
“Snow is expected to rapidly stick to roads and other surfaces due to temperatures in the 20s,” according to the watch notice. “Travel conditions could deteriorate rapidly as early as Friday evening. Very gusty winds on Saturday could result in areas of blowing snow, causing very poor visibility.”
Rock HIll region could see power outages too
Like last weekend, forecasters predict difficult travel and potential power outages.
“The heavy snow will make many roads impassable and may produce scattered power outages due to the weight of the snow on tree limbs and power lines,” the watch notice said. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.”
Lancaster County gets its forecasts out of the National Weather Service’s Columbia office, so it often differs slightly from the York and Chester counties forecasts out of the Greer office. A similar winter storm watch is in place for Lancaster County, but from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.
Heavy snow is possible across more than 20 counties in South Carolina and Georgia, in that storm watch. The area could see 2 to 5 inches of snow.
“Saturday night and Sunday morning will be bitterly cold with wind chills from 0 to 5 degrees possible,” according to the watch notice.
This weekend’s forecast comes a week after a massive winter storm blanketed much of the country. It came as an ice storm in this area on Saturday, but the Rock Hill region was spared many of the damaging effects that other places in the storm’s path felt.
Some roads were closed in the region, events were canceled and public schools were either held online or delayed through Wednesday.
This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 9:45 AM.