Got milk and bread?
Forecasters predicting snow, sleet for tonight
By LARRY HILLIARD Ledger Staff Writer larry@gaffneyledger.com

Local school children will likely get their wish tonight - snow is expected along with a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain.

"It will come down at a pretty good clip," National Weather Service Meteorologist Doug Outlaw said.

A low pressure system bringing moisture from the Gulf of Mexico should arrive in Gaffney before midnight.

With the temperatures expected to hover around the freezing mark, the precipitation will begin as a mixture of rain and snow before sleet begins pelting the area later in the night.

The wintry mix will continue through Thursday morning, accumulating less than an inch. A cold rain then will fall for the remainder of Thursday, Outlaw said. Temperatures are not expected to rise above 35 degrees Thursday.

Motorists will likely encounter slick driving conditions Thursday and Friday mornings.

Gaffney Administrator James Taylor said his public work crews are ready to hit the roads.

"We are fully stocked with sand and salt," he said.

With only one motorgrader, the county's main focus is to ensure that workers arrive safely at their jobs, Cherokee County Interim Administrator Ben Clary said.

"We'll handle some roads, but we are coordinating so that the workers can get to the Peachtree Centre," Clary said.

South Carolina Department of Transportation maintenance engineer Stephen Ellis said his crews will respond to any ice spots on the roads beginning Wednesday night.

DOT crews are responsible for clearing the main thoroughfares, including Interstate 85, S.C. 105, S.C. 11 and S.C. 29 as well as some secondary roads.