UPDATE: Winter Weather Warning prompts school closings, early newspaper

UPDATE 5 p.m. Monday
    Public schools in Columbus County will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as winter weather is expected to heavily impact the area, county superintendent Alan Faulk said Monday.
    Horry County Schools will be closed on Tuesday, and will make a decision on Wednesday classes by mid-day Tuesday, spokeswoman Teal Britton said.
    Southeastern Community College will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, while Coastal Carolina University and Horry-Georgetown Technical College has cancelled classes for Tuesday, only. Decisions on Wednesday classes are expected Tuesday.
    County government and courts in Columbus and Horry counties will also be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
    Tabor City town offices will be closed on Tuesday, with a decision to be made later in the day on Wednesday’s schedule, Town Manager Al Leonard said.
    Loris city offices will operate on their usual schedule Tuesday, City Clerk Martha Dorman said.
    Horry County government has moved from normal operations, OPCON 5, to OPCON 4 early Monday, and OPCON 3 just before 5 p.m. OPCON 3 means an emergency situation is likely or imminent. In preparation of the winter storm, Horry County Emergency Management will open the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on a partial basis beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, until further notice.
    Emergency Support Functions that will report to the EOC are transportation, public works, fire/rescue, procurement, mass care, law enforcement, communications, airport and utilities.
    Once the EOC opens, Horry County will move to Operating Condition Level 1 (OPCON 1). OPCON 1 level means an emergency situation is in effect.
    All Horry County offices and facilities will be closed on Tuesday, except essential personnel who should report to duty as directed.
    All Horry County public meetings scheduled for Tuesday are cancelled, which includes the Keep Horry County Beautiful Committee meeting.
    The scheduled vaccination clinic for Tuesday at the Horry County Animal Care Center has been cancelled.
All family, circuit, magistrate, and magistrate jury courts will be cancelled for Tuesday.

UPDATE 4 p.m. Monday
    Public schools in Columbus County will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as winter weather is expected to heavily impact the area, county superintendent Alan Faulk said Monday.
    “We will evaluation the situation on Wednesday and make a decision on later in the week.
    Horry County Schools will be closed on Tuesday, and will make a decision on Wednesday classes by mid-day Tuesday, spokeswoman Teal Britton said.
    Columbus County government and courts in Columbus County will also be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, Emergency Management Director Kay Worley said.
    Tabor City town offices will be closed on Tuesday, with a decision to be made later in the day on Wednesday’s schedule, Town Manager Al Leonard said.
    Loris city offices will operate on their usual schedule Tuesday, City Clerk Martha Dorman said.

3:39 National Weather Service Bulletin
…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM TUESDAY TO
6 PM EST WEDNESDAY…
* LOCATIONS…SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH
  CAROLINA.
* HAZARD TYPES…FREEZING RAIN…SNOW…AND SLEET. THE HIGHEST
  PROBABILITY FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW WILL BE WELL INLAND…WITH THE
  BEST CHANCE FOR FREEZING RAIN OCCURRING AT THE COAST.
* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED
  ACROSS THE INTERSTATE 95 CORRIDOR…WITH LESSER SNOW AMOUNTS
  FURTHER EAST WHERE MORE MIXING WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL
  OCCUR. THE HIGHEST FREEZING RAIN AMOUNTS WILL OCCUR ALONG THE
  COAST…WHERE AROUND ONE HALF INCH OF ICE IS FORECAST.
* TIMING…A WINTRY MIX WILL BEGIN AS EARLY AS DAYBREAK TUESDAY. THE
  HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON
  THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. LIGHT SNOW MAY LINGER ALONG THE COAST
  INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
* WINDS…NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.
* TEMPERATURES…IN THE UPPER 20S…FALLING TO THE LOW 20S TUESDAY
  NIGHT. WIND CHILLS WILL FALL TO AROUND 10 DEGREES TUESDAY NIGHT.
* IMPACTS…VERY DANGEROUS TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS ROADS
  BECOME SNOW OR ICE COVERED. WHERE SIGNIFICANT SNOW
  FALLS…BLOWING AND DRIFTING WILL CAUSE SEVERELY REDUCED
  VISIBILITY. BRIDGES WILL BE ICY AND EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. THERE
  MAY BE LENGTHY POWER INTERRUPTIONS DUE TO SNOW AND ICE
  ACCUMULATION ON POWER LINES…AND AS WINDS GUST UP TO 30 MPH
  DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM. THE WEIGHT OF THE ICE MAY ALSO BRING
  DOWN TREE LIMBS OR TOPPLE WHOLE TREES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
•    A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS THAT SIGNIFICANT FREEZING
RAIN…SNOW…AND SLEET WILL IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE LATEST FORECASTS. THERE MAY BE NO ELECTRICITY FOR A
CONSIDERABLE TIME…EVEN AFTER THE STORM HAS ENDED…SO PLAN
ACCORDINGLY.

2 p.m. Monday
    With some forecasts calling for up to a foot of snow Tuesday night and Wednesday, public safety officials throughout the region are warning people to prepare, now.
    Those warnings have prompted us to move up our publication schedule for this week. Look for the Jan. 29 Tabor-Loris Tribune print edition in newsracks tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Our full e-edition will also be posted early.
    Here is what the National Weather Service in Wilmington had to say about the threat of winter weather, with a winter storm warning in effect for a broad region that includes all of Columbus and Horry counties from 5 a.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Wednesday. Earlier Monday the warning was in effect beginning at noon Tuesday.

1:52 p.m. forecast
WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM TUESDAY TO 6 PM
EST WEDNESDAY…
* LOCATIONS…SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH
  CAROLINA.
* HAZARD TYPES…SNOW…SLEET…AND FREEZING RAIN. THE HIGHEST
  PROBABILITY FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW WILL BE WELL INLAND…WITH THE
  BEST CHANCE FOR FREEZING RAIN OCCURRING AT THE COAST.
* ACCUMULATIONS…THE RISK FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND SLEET
  ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 INCHES OR MORE IS POSSIBLE INLAND. ICE
  AMOUNTS OF ONE QUARTER INCH OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE
  COAST.
* TIMING…THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TUESDAY EVENING
  THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. A WINTRY MIX WILL BEGIN AS EARLY AS
  DAYBREAK TUESDAY. LIGHT SNOW MAY LINGER ALONG THE COAST INTO
  WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
* WINDS…NORTH 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.
* TEMPERATURES…IN THE UPPER 20S TUESDAY…FALLING TO THE LOW 20S
  TUESDAY NIGHT. WIND CHILLS WILL FALL TO AROUND 10 TUESDAY NIGHT.
* IMPACTS…VERY DANGEROUS TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS ROADS
  BECOME SNOW OR ICE COVERED. BRIDGES WILL BE ICY AND EXTREMELY
  HAZARDOUS. THERE MAY BE LENGTHY POWER INTERRUPTIONS DUE TO SNOW
  AND ICE ACCUMULATION ON POWER LINES…AND AS WINDS GUST UP TO 30 MPH
  DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS THAT SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR
ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL ARE LIKELY. CONTINUE TO
MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS. BEGIN YOUR PREPARATIONS WELL AHEAD
OF THE STORM. THERE MAY BE NO ELECTRICITY FOR A CONSIDERABLE
TIME…EVEN AFTER THE STORM HAS ENDED…SO PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

5:40 a.m. Monday forecast
* LOCATIONS…SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH
  CAROLINA.
* HAZARD TYPES…SNOW AND SLEET. FREEZING RAIN…ESPECIALLY NEAR THE
  COAST.
* ACCUMULATIONS…ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET INLAND AND SLEET
  AND SNOW HEADING INTO WEDNESDAY CLOSER TO THE COAST. SNOW
  AMOUNTS MAY EXCEED 3 INCHES….BUT ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY BE
  SIGNIFICANT CLOSER TO THE COAST.
* TIMING…THE HEAVIEST SNOW AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT.
  A WINTRY MIX MAY BEGIN AS EARLY AS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. SNOW…
  SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN MAY LINGER INTO WEDNESDAY…ESPECIALLY
  ALONG THE COAST WHEN GREATEST CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL
  OCCUR.
* WINDS…NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.
* TEMPERATURES…IN THE MID 20S.
* IMPACTS…VERY DANGEROUS TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS
  ROADS BECOME SNOW OR ICE COVERED. BRIDGES WILL BE ICY AND
  EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. THERE MAY BE LENGTHY POWER INTERRUPTIONS
  AS WINDS GUST TO 20 TO 30 MPH DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
    PEOPLE ACROSS THE REGION SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SEVERE WINTER
CONDITIONS. DRESS WARMLY AND MAKE SURE YOUR CAR IS IN GOOD
RUNNING ORDER AND HAS BEEN PROPERLY WINTERIZED. IT IS HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED THAT YOU TAKE A WINTER WEATHER SURVIVAL KIT IF YOU
MUST TRAVEL.