Winter Storm Warning In The CSRA – Tuesday and Wednesday
Starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, a winter storm warning goes into effect for Columbia, Richmond, Aiken, Burke, McDuffie, and Warren counties. The warning will be in effect until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, with 1 to 3 inches of total accumulation predicted.
According to WJBF, the chance of seeing snow is more likely closer to 5 p.m. After 1 a.m. on Wednesday, precipitation should cease, but roads will be slick. Any precipitation isn’t expected to melt quickly. Snow and any rain that falls are expected to freeze as temperatures remain below freezing overnight.
Sunshine and above-freezing temperatures will return Wednesday afternoon, which will lead to melting.
School Closings, Delays, Early Dismissals
McDuffie County
Schools officials in McDuffie County say students will attend school on Tuesday, but they’ll be released early in anticipation of winter weather. The release times for Tuesday are as follows:
- 11:00–Dearing Elementary and Sand Hills
- 11:15–Special education buses at all schools
- 11:20–Thomson-McDuffie Middle
- 11:25–Thomson High School
- 11:30–McDuffie Achievement Center, Maxwell Elementary, Thomson Elementary, Norris Elementary.
School district officials say they will be monitoring weather forecasts for the rest of the week and will announce a decision about Wednesday sometime on Tuesday.
Columbia County Schools
All students and staff in the district will dismiss early on Tuesday and all after-school events and activities are cancelled.
- 11:00 am–Middle schools will dismiss
- 11:05 am–High schools will dismiss
- 12:10 pm–Elementary schools will dismiss
Aiken County Schools
Aiken County school officials say public schools in their district will operate on an Early Dismissal Schedule on Tuesday.
- 11:30 am–Elementary schools
- 12:10 pm–Middle schools
- 12:30 pm–High schools
- 11:55 am–Ridge Spring-Monetta and Busbee elementary schools
- 12:00 pm–A.L. Corbett Middle, Wagener-Salley High, Aiken Scholars Academy
- 12:15 pm–Ridge Spring Monetta Middle
- 12:20 pm–Ridge Spring Monetta High
Breakfast and lunch will be served prior to dismissal.
There will be no after-school care on Tuesday through QuestZone and no events to include athletics, arts, clubs on Tuesday afternoon or evening.
School district offices will close no later than 2:00 pm. The Operations Center will close at 1:00 pm
Richmond County Schools
The Richmond County School System (RCSS) will hold a PowerUp Asynchronous Learning Day on Tuesday, January 21, out of an abundance of caution due to forecasted inclement weather. All extracurricular activities are canceled. The decision was made after monitoring updates from the National Weather Service, collaborating with local Emergency Management Agency officials, and considering the Governor’s State of Emergency declaration.
Teachers will post assignments in Canvas for older students or SeeSaw for younger students and communicate with families through platforms like Remind or Class Dojo. Families are encouraged to ensure students complete their assignments in the morning ahead of the anticipated weather impacts.
RCSS will continue to monitor conditions for Wednesday and provide an update by Tuesday evening.
Additional updates will be shared through the district’s inclement weather landing page at rcboe.org/weatherupdates, the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, social media channels, and local news outlets.
Burke County Schools
Burke County schools will have early release on Tuesday.
- 12:30 pm–Special needs students dismiss
- 1:00 pm–Middle and High students dismiss
- 1:30 pm–Primary and Elementary students dismiss
- WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, WILL BE A LEARN-FROM-HOME DAY. ALL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING 12-MONTH PERSONNEL, SHOULD NOT REPORT TO WORK.
Meals will be sent home with each student. All after-school activities are cancelled.
The School Board meeting scheduled for 5 pm Tuesday will now be held at 2 pm.
Lincoln County Schools
Lincoln County Schools will have early release on Tuesday.
- 11:15 am–Lincoln County elementary school
- 11:30–Lincoln County middle school and Lincoln County high school
- After-school activities are cancelled
Edgefield County
- Full instructional day is still planned, but all after-school activities have been cancelled.
Area Colleges and Universities
- Augusta University: In-person classes for Tuesday will be remote. In-person activities for the day will be cancelled.
- Augusta University employees are encouraged to work remotely.
- USC Aiken: Normal business hours and class schedules on Tuesday. All in-person activities scheduled for the USCA campus after 5 pm Tuesday have been postponed.
- Augusta Technical College: All campuses closed on Tuesday
