South-Carolina
Is Greenville ready for weekend winter storm? How county is preparing
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Confidence is increasing that the Upstate will experience a major winter storm over the weekend.
A winter storm watch issued by the National Weather Service at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport remains in effect. According to the latest watch, travel on the roads during the storm will be dangerous due to the possibility of heavy mixed precipitation.
Power outages caused by significant ice accumulation on power lines and trees limbs are also likely, according to the weather service. In some areas, outages could last for days.
Meteorologists with the Weather Channel said the weather event could affect over 180 million people in the U.S. ― over half of the nation’s estimated population. Residents who experienced Tropical Storm Helene in 2024 may be wondering if the Palmetto State is winter ready.
Here’s what the Greenville County Emergency Management team shared, and why residents should prepare.
How much snow will impact the Upstate?
The National Weather Service’s urgent winter weather message, posted Jan. 22 at 1:30 a.m., stated a winter storm watch remains in effect from Jan. 24 through Jan. 26. In the message, the service said heavy mixed precipitation was possible, with total snow and sleet accumulations between one and three inches and ice accumulations between one half and one inch.
In addition to the Upstate, portions of Piedmont, northeast Georgia, and western North Carolina are anticipated to experience the effects.
“Significant ice accumulations on power lines and tree limbs may cause widespread and long-lasting power outages. Ice and snow covered roadways will become treacherous and impassable,” the National Weather Service predicted.
Weight from ice and snow on tree limbs and power lines may cause widespread power outages, which may last for several days depending on the area. Residents who commute on Jan. 26 should know that travel may be impacted by hazardous conditions. Highest snow and sleet accumulations are possible north of Interstate 40. Highest ice accumulations are possible across the mountains of South Carolina, northeast Georgia and southern mountains of North Carolina.
Those traveling are advised to consider delaying all trips. If traveling, the National Weather Service recommends carrying a winter storm kit that includes items such as tire chains, booster cables, a flashlight, shovel, blankets, and extra clothing.
“Also take water, a first aid kit, and anything else that would help you survive in case you become stranded,” the National Weather Service advised.
Emergency Operations Center preparing for ‘potential activation’ over the weekend
Pierce Womack, director at Greenville County Emergency Management, said that he and his staff are preparing the Emergency Operations Center for potential activation over the weekend. The facility serves as the coordination hub for Greenville County and includes all of the county department’s municipalities, or partner agencies (nonprofits like United Way and Red Cross, and the South Carolina Department of Public Health).
“All the different agencies would coordinate here in the Emergency Operations Center, similar to what we’ve done in the past for Hurricane Helene, the Table Rock Fire. It just serves as a hub for folks to work face to face.” said Womack.
If roads are impassable, overnight facilities will be available at the center for community members who need a place to shower, eat, and sleep. The center will be powered by a generator, and backup internet will also be available for use.
The Greenville County Emergency Management team will also be working with the South Carolina Department of Public Health, Prisma Health, and St. Francis to ensure that there are facilities in place across the county that can house general evacuees and individuals with special needs, like those who are on oxygen.
Roads to be pre-treated by South Carolina Department of Transportation
The majority of Greenville County’s main roads will be pre-treated and maintained by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), said Womack. Greenville County will be treating county roads, which mainly include secondary and subdivision roads. Most of the main roads will be handled by the state.
“The county will have salt and sand and different types of equipment to try to treat those roads,” Womack said. “The county really kind of comes in after the storm and starts scraping roads and putting sand and salt down as well.”
From past experience, Womack said main roads like Interstate 85 will receive clearance first. Treatment of secondary roads will follow.
Elizabeth Childs with SCDOT confirmed the state agency has 60,000 tons of salt staged at storage facilities across South Carolina. Brine and calcium chloride will also be used to treat roadways. Treatment will be prioritized on interstates, primary routes, bridges overpasses, and ramps, which tend to freeze first. Coverage will be adjusted according to weather conditions and severity.
“More than 4,000 SCDOT employees statewide are ready to respond during a winter weather emergency with 34-hour operations, deploying crews as conditions warrant to treat and maintain roadways.” said Childs.
Does the Greenville County Emergency Management team coordinate with utility companies for weather events?
During past disasters, Womack said he and his fire department were able to partner with a representative from a power company to clear troubled areas with many fallen trees and downed power lines. The team was able to get these types of areas opened first, and power restored.
“The power companies are very good about knowing which critical infrastructure, such as hospitals or merged operation center, things like that ― they know what are on each circuit. So they have some internal processes put together along with avenues that we have to kind of help speed up some of that in, in the trouble areas.” said Womack.
Essential supplies, tips residents should know about before winter storm hits
Womack provided the following weather preparedness tips in the event of a snowstorm:
- Make sure you have a full tank of gas and warm weather gear when traveling in case you get stranded or stuck in traffic (jacket, gloves, blanket, car charger).
- Prepare the home for a winter storm by leaving one of your water faucets dripping to keep the flow of water going. Be mindful of any busted water pipes.
- Purchase at least 72 hours of water and non-perishable food on hand like canned goods.
- Keep a cell phone charger nearby.
- Pick up any prescription medications your family may need in advance of the storm. The same goes for pet necessities and pet food.
- You will need batteries, a flashlight, and weather radios in case the power goes out.
- Residents who own generators are urged to use them in a safe manner under the guidance of the manufacturer’s recommendations. Generators should run outside to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Portable heaters that use kerosene should be kept far away to prevent materials nearby from combusting, which may result in a home fire. Make sure the heater is cleared out. Do not tip the heater over.
- Be on the safe side by spending a few nights with a friend or family member who does have power.
How to stay updated on alerts from Greenville County Emergency Management, SCDOT?
Once the Emergency Operations Center is activated, information from sheltering to warming center locations will be posted on the Greenville County Emergency Management team’s website and social media pages.
For real-time road and travel updates, the public should follow SCDOT’s website and social media channels. Information on shelters and power outages will be provided by local governments, emergency management agencies, and utility companies.
“SCDOT coordinates with utility providers to ensure road access for repair crews during and after winter weather, and any road closures are evaluated based on safety and communicated through official channels in coordination with law enforcement and emergency partners.” said Childs.
Nina Tran is the public safety and education reporter for The Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network. She has also covered trending topics for the newsroom. Reach her via email at ntran@usatodayco.com.
South-Carolina
South Carolina’s Alicia Tournebize may be shy, but don’t doubt her drive, ex-teammate says
COLUMBIA — Alicia Tournebize, 18, is South Carolina women’s basketball’s youngest player.
But that’s nothing new. The 6-foot-7 forward was on the younger side of Tango Bourges Basket’s roster, the professional French club she played for before moving to Columbia.
With four-game sample size, Tournebize has shown glimpses of promise in a situation that doesn’t demand excellence anytime soon but greatly benefits from whatever she’s able to give.
“Alicia learns very quickly, over the year she joined the first team of Bourges, she has proven that she has her place among us,” said Tournebize’s former teammate Kariata Diaby in an email to The Greenville News.
Now Tournebize is starting to find her place for the No. 3 Gamecocks (20-2, 6-1 SEC).
Diaby, 30, played 13 games for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA in 2025 before returning to France to play for Bourges. She is averaging 11.6 points, the second most on the team.
The 6-4 center watched as Tournebize navigated the jump to the professional level.
“For her first season, she was observant, given her age, which is quite normal, but over time she will become a great player and very complete on all levels,” Diaby wrote.
Tournebize arrived in Columbia Jan. 1 but didn’t play until Jan. 15, with practices beginning a week before she took the floor. She watched three games from the bench before checking in during the first quarter in the top-5 game vs Texas.
She scored no points in five minutes then scored eight points in 13 minutes against Coppin State on Jan. 18. In the loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 22, she scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and had three rebounds in 14 minutes, one of two players to finish with a positive plus/minus.
Against the Sooners she cut to the basket to catch an easy pass from Raven Johnson by the rim, hit a 3-point shot and nailed a short stop-and-pop jumper.
She can jump and elevate in ways most 6-7 players can’t. Diaby confirmed the ability to drive and shoot from both midrange and 3-point territory will stick around as a core part to Tournebize’s game. She had zero points vs. Vanderbilt on Jan. 25.
“She is able to counter and outsmart the opponent on defense,” Diaby wrote. “It’s complicated to score against her. She is a player who manages to do everything on the court whether it is near or far from the rim.”
Tournebize is averaging 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 11.5 minutes ahead of Auburn (13-8, 2-5) on Jan. 29 (9 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
South Carolina has not made Tournebize available for interviews so far.
“I think she is someone who will quickly evolve in the world of basketball because she wants to learn and progress,” Diaby wrote.
Alicia Tournebize is South Carolina’s new quiet competitor
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called Tournebize “unafraid” after two games.
“She is very competitive, she wants to win especially and does not like to lose, even if her shyness does not show it,” Diaby wrote. “She puts all the chances on her side and fights on all aspects and gives energy to her team.”
This maturation process requires attention to detail as she follows the blueprint that South Carolina has already laid out this season.
“Alicia is very kind, easy to live with on and off the court, she listens to others, that’s what I loved about her,” Diaby wrote. “She really has talent and wants to succeed at the highest level simply, all I wish her success in her career and in her life. She is someone who wants to shine everywhere.”
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) — State lawmakers in South Carolina are proposing a major overhaul of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to address the state’s aging road system without increasing the gas tax.
The plan, outlined in Senate Bill 831, aims to improve management and efficiency within the DOT by creating a new Transportation Coordinating Council. This council would bring together several state agencies to enhance decision-making processes.
Sen. Larry Grooms highlighted the financial resources available, stating, “We have an unobligated surplus of $1.7 billion from last year. We’re having an increase in state revenues over last year of about 1 billion. We now have 2.7 billion more dollars than we had last year.”
The proposal comes shortly after Gov. Henry McMaster requested lawmakers to allocate over a billion dollars for roads and bridges in the state budget.
Sen. Rex Rice emphasized the need to improve DOT efficiency, saying, “I think we’ve got to do everything we can to improve the efficiency of DOT, figuring out how to do projects without putting so much red tape into them.”
Instead of raising the gas tax, the bill suggests exploring alternative funding options, such as public-private partnerships, user fees, and tolls.
State Rep. Seth Rose stressed the importance of pedestrian safety, stating, “When we get into the heart of our neighborhoods and our community, walk capability, bike ability, and a sense of community need to be prioritized.”
Rose also expressed openness to discussing tolls as a potential funding source with other lawmakers.
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The Senate proposal has been referred to the Transportation Committee for further review.
Here are some ways you can save on gas
Here are some ways you can save on gas. 12/26/25
South Carolina is seeing a significant increase in gas prices, but one expert explained the price hike is not uncommon for this time of year.
GasBuddy, a North America platform that analyses gas price trends, reported that the average cost of a gallon in South Carolina rose from $2.468 on Jan. 19 to $2.617 on Jan. 26 — a difference of just under 15 cents.
Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said the cost of diesel gas and gasoline have seen price increases lately. The rise in diesel gas can be explained by a burst of wintery weather facing many U.S. states this week, while the spike in gasoline prices is a little more complex.
According to De Haan, diesel gas prices are on the rise because diesel gas and heating oil are essentially the same product, leading to a spike in diesel demand when temperatures get colder.
“Diesel and heating oil are essentially the same product,” De Haan said. “It’s temperatures that would then cause heating oil demand to go up.”
De Haan went on to say that the rise in gasoline prices may be caused by time of year and recent geopolitical events. According to the analyst, gas prices usually start trending upward later in the winter.
During this time, refineries start to make summer gasoline, which has a lower Reid vapor pressure and is often pricier. It also coincides with spring break vacations, when many people take to the road and drive up demand for gasoline.
“Maybe in a few weeks, we could see prices stabilize or decline slightly,” De Haan said. “But also, beyond that, we’re getting closer to the start of the annual rise in gas prices that happens every spring.
Another driver for higher gasoline prices is the supply market overseas. The analyst pointed to three situations overseas that could be driving up the cost of a barrel of gasoline, making American consumers feel more of an impact on their wallets at the pump.
He said the ongoing situation in Venezuela, U.S. sanctions on Iran, and an oil field fire in Kazakhstan could all cause the price of gasoline to rise. De Haan said any disruption to global oil supply can be felt by consumers almost immediately.
“Iran is a major oil producer,” De Haan said. “Those sanctions President Trump puts on Iran make it more difficult for them to supply oil to the market, meaning that global oil supply could be negatively impacted by new sanctions.”
De Haan anticipates that the price of diesel will stay higher so long as colder temperatures stick around, but he is hopeful that those prices will start to come down within a few weeks.
As for regular gasoline, those prices could stay high or even rise simply because of the time of year.
“Enjoy these lower prices, because they will start to inch up as we get closer to summer,” De Haan said. “That’s something that happens every year.”
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com
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