‘This is going to be a mess’: Forecasters warn of more ice coming

Ice accumulation predictions from freezing rain are increasing for coastal areas, and a winter weather advisory has spread farther west to include Marlboro and Darlington counties as Winter Storm Grayson moves up the coast, forecasters said.

“This is going to be a mess regarding travel given the antecedent cold ground/road conditions - please stay safe!,” Steve Pfaff, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C., said in an email Wednesday morning.

A winter storm warning is in effect for Wednesday through 6 a.m. Thursday for Horry, Georgetown counties and surrounding areas.

Ice accumulations of 0.10 to 0.15 of inch are in the forecast, along with 1 to 3 inches of snow and sleet for Horry and Georgetown counties, and surrounding areas, Pfaff warned.

A wintry mix with a round of freezing rain is expected to begin mid morning, moving south to north, and eventually blanketing the coastal region.

Snow is expected to follow next in the afternoon and evening and is forecast to fall through the night.

“Travel will become very hazardous, and power outages are possible as well,” Pfaff stated in the weather briefing.

A coastal flooding advisory is also in effect from 7 to 10 a.m. Wednesday from Surf City to the South Santee River.

“Breaking waves will run up close to the base of the beach dunes. Residual water in the wake of high tide may freeze with temperatures below freezing this morning,” according to a NWS alert.

Winds are also forecast to increase Wednesday to 15 to 20 mph to 30 mph and could create power outages in areas that get ice accumulations from freezing rain.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 7:22 AM with the headline "‘This is going to be a mess’: Forecasters warn of more ice coming."