Wednesday’s freeze created icy roads. How are Myrtle Beach’s driving conditions Thursday?
A mixture of snow melting and temperatures dipping under freezing has left Myrtle Beach coated in ice.
Crews are working to clear the roads and create safe driving conditions, starting with the main roads first, said Hannah Robinson with the South Carolina Department of Transportation in an email to The Sun News. Crews have been working 24 hours a day to de-ice the roads.
Officials are still urging people to stay off the roads unless necessary. The roads across Myrtle Beach are in varying defrosting stages, with roads having patches of ice rather than sheets.
Here’s how driving conditions appear Thursday afternoon, using information the SCDOT road cameras and social media posts from Grand Strand residents.
Myrtle Beach
U.S. 17 has cleared up drastically since Wednesday but likely has patches of ice across Myrtle Beach. Near S.C. 544, U.S 17 looks wet and possibly icy around 1:30 p.m, SCDOT cameras show.
Drivers in the Myrtle Vegas Facebook group say U.S. 17 across the Grand Strand has been navigable with caution. Side streets are still being cleaned but main ways are slowly becoming safer.
Overall the roads still have “lots of ice,” said City Spokesman Patrick Lloyd said around 9:30 a.m.
Looking south at the Socastee area, S.C. 544 appears to have a layer of ice and snow on top. S.C. 31 was down to one icy lane Thursday morning, making travel difficult, according to Myrtle Vegas Facebook users.
Conway
U.S. 501 appears relatively clear but has ice patches, according to SCDOT cameras and Myrtle Vegas Facebook users.
Within the city of Conway, streets have patches of black ice, especially where the roads are shaded, said Spokesman June Wood Thursday morning. She’s hoping roads will start to thaw as the weather warms and the sun comes out.
North Myrtle Beach
The North Myrtle Beach area is doing okay Thursday morning, according to Myrtle Vegas Facebook comments. U.S. 17 conditions are okay with patches of ice and slush.
Road crews are mainly focused on U.S. 17 and Ocean Boulevard and will then move on to side streets, said Fire Chief Billy Floyd Wednesday morning.
Overall, crews did a good job clearing off the roads before Wednesday night’s freeze but there are still several slick spots, Floyd said. This mainly includes intersections in North Myrtle Beach.
People in a Loris Facebook page commented that S.C. 9 had only one usable lane and S.C. 31 was icy this morning.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 10:38 AM.
