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"This was a substantial amount of rain, especially for this time of year," said meteorologist Steve Taylor. "February is generally the driest month, and March isn't that much wetter."
The National Weather Service said there was a slight chance of flurries Sunday night in Beaufort County, with the possibility of icy spots on roads. No substantial accumulation was expected. The chance of precipitation was
30 percent, the service said.
Rain estimates Sunday for Beaufort County ranged from 2 to 4 inches, Taylor said. A weather substation on Parris Island recorded winds of 41 mph Sunday afternoon.
The rain drowned sidewalks on Hilton Head Island and left standing water more than a foot deep in some places.
The temperature hovered in the mid-40s Sunday afternoon, meteorologists said.
No downed trees or damages were reported, according to county
emergency officials.
Beaufort County sheriff's deputies were called to several alarms activated by high winds, but no other problems were reported.
The rain and winds were expected to leave the area by early this morning, while much of the Upstate prepared for snow and sleet Sunday night.
Meteorologist Blair Holloway of the National Weather Service in the Greenville-Spartanburg area received early reports Sunday of a sleet-snow mix, but expected steady snowfall once temperatures dropped.
The state Highway Patrol deployed troopers in anticipation of increased traffic accidents and road problems during and after the snowfall.
Duke Power said more than 4,500 of its South Carolina customers were without power Sunday afternoon. More than 3,400 of those outages were in Greenville.
Snow in March is rare, but not
unprecedented in South Carolina.
A storm March 1, 1980, left 7 inches of snow in Florence, 4 inches in
Anderson and Columbia, and an inch in Charleston.
On Sunday, residents in parts of Alabama and Georgia saw snow, which created traffic jams and flight delays.
