Staff Writer

Schools were closed but roads were clear following a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain that fell on Union County Wednesday night and early this morning.

A combination of sleet and snow began falling on Union County Wednesday evening and continued overnight as temperatures dipped to below freezing. Accumulation reached around one inch this morning before warmer temperatures brought a cold rain that rapidly washed away the snow.

As a precaution, schools in Union County were closed today and the Union County Courthouse didn't open until 10 a.m.

Jerry Brannon, resident maintenance engineer for the S.C. Department of Transportation, said his department started putting salt brine down on the roads before lunch Wednesday. Brannon said this helped prevent the ice from getting hard on the roads. During the night, crews scraped the roads and put some salt down to keep them from icing over.

“All major roads and highly-traveled roads are clear, they're wet but clear,” Brannon said. “There will be some slush on some of the subdivision roads and back roads but it's melting pretty fast in this rain. We got lucky that the temperature didn't stay below freezing.”

Brannon said that it's possible that if the temperature drops tonight, black ice could form. He urged motorists driving tonight and in the morning to use caution.

Union Public Services director Perry Harmon said that city streets began clearing around 3 a.m. He said that city crews were out scraping the streets from shortly before midnight until 3 a.m. when it stopped snowing.

There were no reports of power outages in the city or the county.

Union Public Safety Director Sam White said no accidents were caused by the weather beyond a couple of cars that slid off the side of the road on Lakeside Drive near the city reservoir. He also cautioned the public about the possibility of black ice forming tonight and urged those who have to be on the road to drive very slowly and carefully.

“The road might look clear but still have a thin sheet of ice,” he said. “Drivers need to be aware of that possibility.”