Weather worry impacts Columbus schools, sports

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     A winter weather advisory that includes a broad region of southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina has prompted early dismissal for the Columbus County Schools on Wednesday, cancellation of after-school activities including the Waccamaw 1A/2A basketball conference playoffs.

     County schools will release students at noon Wednesday, a district announcement said, with staff free to leave “once all buses have departed and all duties are complete.”

     South Columbus’ boys basketball team has a chance to make the state playoffs, but it will be Sunday before the North Carolina High School Athletic Association determines teams and seeding. State playoff action is expected to begin Tuesday, Feb. 25.

     Rain is expected in the area beginning about noon Wednesday, a National Weather Service forecast says, with temperatures beginning in the low 40s then falling.

     “Most likely timing for freezing rain is early evening Wednesday through Wednesday night, but there is a small chance of lingering freezing drizzle into Thursday morning,” a 3 p.m. Tuesday update said.

     That forecast called for some ice accumulation, from one-one hundredth to one-tenth of an inch, for the region that includes all of Columbus County and all but coastal sections of Horry.