The second winter storm of 2014 caused widespread damage and power outages across the eastern Carolinas on February 11th and 12th. This storm system produced devastating amounts of freezing rain along and east of I-95. Ice accumulations measured as high as 1.5 inches in Kingstree, SC! Tree damage across the area was comparable to that caused by Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989. Monetary damage to forests alone was estimated at $360 million. Western areas of the Pee Dee also received large amounts of snow and sleet, with 8 inches measured near Bennettsville, SC.
In Wilmington this was the second largest ice storm on record since 1947 with over a half inch of ice measured at the Wilmington International Airport. An ice storm of this magnitude is estimated to only occur once every 30-35 years in this part of the country.
Cold and dry air settled into the Carolinas on February 10, 2014. The cold front at the leading edge of this air mass stalled along the Gulf Coast states and into northern Florida that evening. Two areas of low pressure developed along the front and moved northeastward into the Atlantic. This caused mainly snow to develop across northern South Carolina where the coldest air had settled in. Rain and freezing rain were reported along the coast where slightly warmer air existed above the surface.
After a brief break from the wintry precipitation, a second round developed during the morning hours of February 12th in advance of another, stronger area of low pressure There was enough warm air in the mid levels of the atmosphere that most of the precipitation fell as freezing rain. Snow was confined to counties along and northwest of I-95 like Lumberton, Hartsville, Cheraw, and Bennettsville. Surface temperatures along the coast began to rise above freezing by noon on the 12th, with the freezing line slowly progressing inland during the afternoon and early evening hours. Many inland counties never made it above 32° until well after the precipitation had ended.
Most of the damage from this storm was a result of heavy ice accumulation across the Pee Dee. A swath of ice accumulation in excess of one inch occurred from northern Horry, Marion, southern Florence, and western Williamsburg counties. A state of emergency was declared during the storm and emergency shelters were opened by the American Red Cross. At one point, nearly 350,000 South Carolina residents were without power. The severity of the damage led to 21 counties in South Carolina being declared a federal “major disaster area” including Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, and Williamsburg counties.
Information from the National Weather Service Office in Wilmington, NC.