Electric cooperatives in South Carolina are monitoring a weather system that may produce icy conditions in 
some parts of the state. The National Weather Service in Columbia predicts a wintry mix of ice pellets and freezing rain could begin in the early afternoon Monday in the Upstate.
“We monitor all winter storms very carefully,” said Todd Carter, vice president of loss control and training at The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “With this particular system, it’s the freezing rain and ice that we will be watching closely.”
Accumulations of ice are a threat to utility distribution systems. A quarter-inch of ice adds as much as 500 pounds to a span of electric power line. Falling limbs and branches weighted down by ice can also damage power lines.
The advancing storm has already affected much of the region in the form of powerful wind gusts.
“Very strong winds affected some of our Upstate co-ops Saturday night,” said Carter. Gusty winds knocked out power to nearly 250,000 residents in the Mid-Atlantic region Saturday evening. In addition to South Carolina, power outages were reported in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
“With winter storms, we can never be too careful,” said Carter. “If this storm causes significant outages, we’ll have crews from the southern part of the state ready to travel and help restore power as soon as it is safe.”
Last February, Winter Storm Pax delivered a devastating blow to South Carolina. More than 350,000 residents lost power after significant accumulations of ice downed trees and power lines. For a few of the state’s electric cooperatives, Winter Storm Pax was the most damaging weather event since Hurricane Hugo in 1989. President Obama declared South Carolina a federal disaster area and the state spent more than $430 million to repair ice and snow damage.
