Weather experts predict wintry weather. What does that mean for the Rock Hill region?

Road crews and utility companies stepped up preparations Friday for a winter storm that could bring significant amounts of snow, sleet and ice to the Rock Hill area and much of the Carolinas on Sunday.

A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the area, with forecasters saying the big threat for the Rock Hill region will be freezing rain and sleet.

The National Weather Service’s latest forecast calls for around .4 of an inch of ice accumulation in York, Chester and Lancaster counties. Experts say scattered power outages can be expected when ice accumulations exceed .25 of an inch.

To make matters worse, breezy conditions are forecast Sunday with the storm.

Duke Energy officials said Friday they are calling in 600 utility repair workers from Florida and the Midwest, in addition to the 1,000 Carolinas employees ready to fix outages.

“Customers need to be prepared for a wintry mix that will bring with it the potential to cause outages in our service area,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy Carolinas’ storm director. “We have power line and tree crews, along with other storm personnel, ready to safely respond to power outages this weekend.”

The S.C. Department of Transportation will be applying a brine mixture to highways Friday and Saturday, in an effort to prevent ice formation on roads.

Friday’s sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid 50s are a far cry from what can be expected late Saturday and Sunday across the region, forecasters say.

Colder air is predicted to funnel into the region Saturday, with highs only reaching the mid 40s under cloudy skies.

The storm system expected to affect the area took shape Friday over the Rockies. Precipitation from that storm is expected to arrive in the Rock Hill region late Saturday night.

“Conditions will then go downhill in a hurry Saturday night,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Lane.

Snow will mix with or change to sleet in the Rock Hill area in the early-morning hours Sunday, then mix with or change to freezing rain sometime Sunday morning. Freezing rain is predicted to continue into Sunday afternoon.

The precipitation is predicted to change back to light snow Sunday evening before ending.

“Damaging accumulations of ice appear more likely along and south of a line from Anderson, to Spartanburg, to Gastonia, to Salisbury, including Charlotte and vicinity,” Lane said.

The Weather Service said it expects about 1 inch of snow and sleet accumulation in the Rock Hill area. Much heavier snow totals are forecast to the north, in the North Carolina foothills and mountains.

Duke Energy officials encouraged residents to use Friday and Saturday to prepare for the storm.

They said residents should make sure they have flashlights, batteries, bottled water and non-perishable foods, as well as a battery-power radio or television for news updates.

Families with people who are elderly or have special medical needs should make alternate shelter arrangements, Duke Energy officials added.

Cold air is predicted to follow the storm, so black ice could be a problem Monday and Tuesday mornings, forecasters say.

Highs on Monday and Tuesday are only expected to reach the low 40s, despite sunshine. And Tuesday morning lows could be near 15 degrees, meteorologists say.

The cold weather is forecast to continue for the rest of the month, and if all this isn’t enough, meteorologists say they are watching a pattern late next week that could bring another threat of wintry weather..

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttl

This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 11:30 AM.