Hilton Head snow starts. ‘It feels so weird.’
A wintry mix with white snow specks started to fall in Hilton Head on Saturday around 3:30 p.m.
The white specks dissolved once they hit the pavement of the Coligny Plaza parking lot. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the area could see up to 2 inches of snow by early Sunday.
Some stores in Coligny Plaza remained open Saturday afternoon.
Others, like House of Honey, weren’t taking any chances. “Closed until Monday, Feb. 2 at 11 a.m. Bee safe!” said a sign posted to store’s display window.
Squeals of joy could be heard across the plaza from people excited to see snow. Fionn McCarthy, who works at Frozen Moo ice cream shop, said all he wants is for school to get canceled.
“That’s all I care about, to be honest,” he said.
The Beaufort area is expected to get 1-2 inches of snow, according to the NWS. Record cold is expected this weekend, with temperatures plummeting to 22 degrees near Beaufort, it said at 2 p.m. Saturday. Wind chills could get as low as 7 degrees.
Diana Burger, who has worked at the Soma lingerie store in Coligny for about four and a half years, said she expects the store will stay open normal hours on Saturday, depending on how bad the snow gets. But once the wintry mix started to intensify, she and her manager ran outside to bring in their outdoor display racks as quickly as possible.
“It’s warm in here. Bras are three for $99, and panties are on sale,” Burger said.
The Frosty Frog Cafe is staying open, as normal, until 11 p.m., an employee at the host stand told The Island Packet.
Savannah Rose Toomer, who works with McCarthy at Frozen Moo, said last year’s snow was memorably heavy. Sometimes snow can sneak up on you in Hilton Head. A few years ago, she had family in Atlanta come here to escape a winter storm, only to get stuck here.
Toomer said she’s lived in Virginia, so she’s more used to snow. But it’s unsettling to see it here on the island.
“Being down here in the snow, it feels so weird,” she said.
This story was originally published January 31, 2026 at 5:12 PM.