Rock Hill weather update: Winter storm warning, up to 8 inches of snow, bitter cold

A winter storm warning starts Friday afternoon for a weather pattern that could bring up to 8 inches of snow and bitter cold to the Rock Hill region this weekend.

The storm warning covers parts of six states, including all but five of 46 counties in South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service. It starts at 4 p.m. in York and Chester counties, lasting until 7 a.m. Sunday. In Lancaster County, the warning runs from 10 p.m. today to 10 a.m. Sunday.

The heaviest snow is predicted late Friday night into Saturday morning, with roads becoming hazardous quickly due to low temperatures.

A weather service map of expected snowfall for the weekend shows 6 to 8 inches across much of the Charlotte metro area, including Rock Hill and Chester. It’s 5 to 9 inches in Lancaster, with 8 to 12 inches in neighboring Monroe, North Carolina.

Another weather service map shows the wind chill on Saturday night as minus 1 degree in Rock Hill.

Wind gusts are expected this weekend at up to 30 mph across the Rock Hill region.

Severe weather could arrive in time to impact the drive home from work on Friday, according to the weather service.

“Snow is expected to rapidly stick to roads and other surfaces due to temperatures in the 20s,” the winter storm warning said. “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.”