SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015
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‘Pax’ packed a punch Locals remember destructive 2014 ice storm that moved through state
We could see more storms in our future BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com If you want to know if last year’s ice storm that gripped the Midlands, downing power lines and toppling tree branches, can happen again, the answer is “yes.” When it might happen again, however, is impossible to predict. There are a number of weather ingredients that must be present, and even then, it depends on a number of factors coming together in a certain way. Chris Liscinsky, a meteorologist for National Weather Service in Columbia, said scenarios such as the one that led to last year’s ice storm are not all that uncommon. He said the situation is set up by cold Arctic air pushing into the area from the north or northwest, usually in a series of progressively colder fronts. The cold air is not enough, however; a layer of warm, moist air needs to be already in place or entering the area and riding over the top of the cold Arctic air. “Usually, we get Gulf or Atlantic moisture that will come in on top of the cold system,” Liscinsky said. The timing and the conditions all have to align to have the freezing rain that can wreak havoc on anything in the way. He said that last year, two systems rolled into the Midlands early in the day Feb. 11 that brought some rain and moisture, and later, a “more significant” system came in and stretched into Feb. 12, which helped create the areas of freezing rain. Liscinsky said such storms will affect different areas in a variety of ways. The area of cold air is usually quite widespread, he said, with rain and freezing rain on one side of a band of mixed precipitation and snow on the other side. “The changeover area can be kind of localized,” he said. During the 2014 ice storm, Columbia received sleet and ice pellets, while areas north of Columbia received snow. It was areas in the Midlands and farther south that were hit by freezing rain and ice, he said. In between the freezing rain and the snow was a band about 10 to 20 miles wide that received mixed precipitation, he said. Liscinsky said the areas hit by the ice storm received amounts ranging from a half inch to an inch and a quarter. “The amount of tree and power line damage was pretty widespread,” he said. “It hit Augusta, Georgia, real hard. “It took out the Eisenhower tree where the Masters is played and other areas just north of there.” Those areas included the Midlands, he said. “The scenario can set up at least once or twice a winter,” he said. He said a similar system entered the Midlands in late January 2014, but the Sumter area received one to four inches of snow and not freezing rain, because the conditions weren’t aligned properly.
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SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTOS
A T&D Solutions utility service worker fixes a power line that went down on White Street in Sumter on Feb. 14, 2014, after an ice storm left thousands without power. The winter storm, dubbed “Pax” by The Weather Channel, struck South Carolina from Feb. 11 through Feb. 13 and caused extensive power outages, downed trees and other hazardous conditions for people across the area. At top from left, a snow vehicle is prepped at Sumter Department of Transportation maintenance office before the storm; an icicle hangs from a Gamecock statue; and ice coats bushes in Sumter after the storm.
The Sumter Item looks back at how area coped with winter weather
A
s the people of South Carolina button up for cold weather this week, many are breathing a sigh of relief the Arctic air mass paying a visit is not accompanied by significant moisture. Still fresh in people’s memory is the ice storm which gripped the Midlands just more than a
year ago, downing power lines, shutting down transportation, toppling trees and making life difficult.
As usual, however, local residents responded with heroic efforts, braving the miserable and dangerous conditions to keep services flowing and making sure their neighbors were safe. In today’s issue, The Sumter Item takes a look back at how the storm affected the area and what residents have learned and its impact on local forests, landscaping and infrastructure. We’ll review the gallant efforts by local authorities who helped pull the region through the crisis. We will also examine the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s role in reimbursing the costs for storm cleanup and how the event has influenced locals’ planning for possible future weather disasters. Brew up a hot beverage, throw a log on the fire, wrap yourself in a warm blanket and join your local newspaper as we look back at how area residents survived the ice storm of 2014. — Jim Hilley
INSIDE THIS EDITION State’s forests still recovering from thick coat of ice / A2
Law enforcement officials helped keep residents safe in their homes, on the roads / A7
Family urges others to be prepared / A2
See more photos of the aftermath of the storm / A11
FEMA reimbursed city, county for cleanup / A3
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DEATHS, A11
WEATHER, A12
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