East Gaffney Baptist Church members Ron Harrill and James Padgett go to work creating a walkway for members of the church to enter the place of worship after several inches of snow fell during a winter storm in February. Mother Nature gives us very few guarantees, but with the return of clear skies and days with temperatures above 60 degrees it’s fair to say winter is finally on its way out.

And what a season it was.

Each year prior to winter arriving, The Old Farmer’s Almanac releases its forecast for the upcoming season, giving readers a heads-up as to what type of weather they can expect. The almanac predicted the Upstate would enjoy a cool, yet dry winter, receiving below-average precipitation for this time of year.

However, even The Old Farmer’s Almanac could not have forecast that the Upstate and much of South Carolina would be forced to deal with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark for the better part of two months.

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw, the average temperature for the months of January and February was 38.5 degrees, nearly four degrees less than the average of 42 degrees. During the 2-month stretch, the mercury rose as high as 70 degrees (Jan. 20), but that was a rarity for the better part of the season with thermometers in the 30s or below, dipping as low as 13 degrees on Jan. 9.

In addition, Upstate residents made frequent trips to local supermarkets in an effort to get bread, milk and other staples as the area was hit with snow, sleet, and other forms of wintry precipitation with a total of seven inches locally during the first two months of this year.

“One of my peers has deemed this winter as one of the six or seven worst on record for this area,” Outlaw said. “Temperatures rarely got out of the 30s this season, helping sleet and snow that arrived in the area the opportunity to stick around longer maybe than it was wanted.”

The meteorologist said much of the blame for the uptick in precipitation this season is due to El Nino, a periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide.

“It definitely played a big factor in the type of winter we had, bringing in quite a bit of moisture; but it’s not solely to blame,” Outlaw said. “A strong, active jet stream that dipped down from Canada brought the cool temperatures, making this winter different from the ones we’ve become used to. Especially our friends in the mountains, who received 38.2 inches of snow this winter.”

El Nino is expected to continue at least through spring, which according to Outlaw means there is a high possibility of active weather as the seasons change.

“There is a likelihood that we’ll have a lot of stormy weather this Spring and moving forward into the summer,” Outlaw said. “From our forecasts, we’re seeing a good possibility for storms with damaging winds and large hail.”

Spring tends to be an active time of year weather wise, producing significant events, particularly tornadoes. On April 10 last year, several tornadoes touched down in the Palmetto State, including two around Greenwood and another in Abbeville.

With this in mind, Outlaw advises everyone to remain alert for changing weather patterns.

“Simply be alert to rapidly changing weather; your vigilance can be the difference between life and death,” he said.