wintry mix expected tonight

What happened to winter? Unseasonably warm weather has dominated the region for the past several weeks, but that's about to change.

A blast of cold air is expected to mix with moisture off the coast to produce a quarter-of-an-inch of snow here Thursday morning.

"This isn't a strong system and we aren't thinking a lot of accumulation," National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Krentz said. "The moisture will get here late to give us some very light snow."

As the temperatures rise into the high 30s on Thursday, the precipitation will likely turn to a mix of snow, sleet and ice, Krentz said.

The temperatures are expected to plunge into the 20s Thursday night, which could create hazardous driving conditions Friday morning as the moisture turns to ice overnight.

Gaffney City Administrator James Taylor said the Public Works Department is receiving regular weather updates.

"We've been preparing," Taylor said. "We have installed sand spreaders on a dump truck and we have another sand spreader that we can install."

If icy conditions exist, Taylor said city crews will concentrate initially on bridges and overpasses.