COLUMBIA, S.C. — Many woke up to thunderstorms in the Midlands on Tuesday morning as a cold front moved through the region. The winter storms had many asking whether it will snow in the next 7-10 days, a common wives' tale.
Looking at data collected from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, this theory has occurred twice in the past few years.
The first time was back in 2017, when thunderstorms were observed on December 29th, 2016. Just 9 days later snow fell across the central and northern Midlands, with a tenth of an inch measured at Columbia Metropolitan Airport on January 7th, 2017.
Another time this phenomena happened was during the winter of 2015-2016. Storms moved through the Midlands on February 3rd and six days later, on the 9th, snow fell and a trace was measured at the airport.
These are the only two instances when the tale rung true in the Midlands over the past 5 winters. During those winters, there were a total of 15 days where thunderstorms were observed in Columbia.
There is a little bit of science behind the theory. When it storms in the winter, it typically means a strong cold front is moving through. Behind a cold front is normally a much colder air mass. If the moisture and cold air line up, it could produce some snow. Or, the colder air could set the scene for the next storm system to move through and bring snow. Here in South Carolina, it is hard to get both the moisture and cold air to align at the same time.
South Carolina is in a snow drought. It has been about 4 years since Columbia has recorded measurable snowfall. This is the third longest stretch the city has gone without snow.