53 Years Ago, South Carolina Was Hit With The Worst Blizzard In History

Generally speaking, South Carolina doesn’t really see much snowfall, especially when you compare it to neighboring states. Average snowfall in South Carolina varies by region, with the Greenville area receiving the most (two to five inches) and the coastal Lowcountry, like Charleston, receiving less than an inch. The Midlands are a bit of a wildcard, and its unpredictable winter averages around an inch or two. Of course, higher elevations up in the Blue Ridge Mountains could see up to seven inches.  But no amount of snow falling over the Palmetto State in recent years quite compares to the far-reaching effects of the Blizzard of '73. It was a historic storm that swept through the Southeast, and it's one of those moments in history that your parents and grandparents continue to tell.

On February 8, 1973, the snow began falling — and not just in the upstate. Even the Midlands and the coast were affected by the historic three-day blizzard. The snow fell continuously for the first 24 hours and almost immediately began breaking records.

While Columbia saw an enormous amount of snow, the hardest hit areas were along a path parallel to the coast, about 75 miles inland.

Nearly two feet of snow fell in the Midlands at the average rate of an inch per hour in that first 24 hours. The tiny community of Rimini, located 10 miles northwest of Interstate 95, still holds the South Carolina record for most snowfall in a 24-hour period: 24 inches.

Thousands traveling during the storm were stranded. Many of them were making their way home from winter vacations farther south and were merely passing through the Palmetto State. And while Interstate 95 was like a parking lot, traffic came to a grinding halt on many other roads as well. It's important to remember that we didn't have the same technology back then. These folks were using paper maps and could very well have missed the daily news broadcast about the storm.

Motels along I-95 were filled with motorists who were caught in the storm. Many were rescued by emergency personnel, while others walked to nearby homes where they were graciously taken in until the storm passed.

Numbers of stranded travelers soared to an estimated 30,000 individuals. The Sumter News reported 11 deaths as having been directly caused by the blizzard.

More than 200 buildings in South Carolina collapsed under the weight of the snow. Drifts were reported as high as eight feet. The total damage of the storm was estimated at $30 million. Even the coast saw a record eight inches of snow during the three-day storm. For sure, the Blizzard of '73 is one storm South Carolinians (and beyond) will never forget.

The Blizzard of '73 goes down as one of the greatest snowstorms in the Southeastern United States. It continues to hold all-time records not just for South Carolina, but for neighboring states like Georgia and North Carolina, too. Even southern states like Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida were heavily affected by the one-in-a-lifetime storm.

Hopefully, we won't see historic snowfall like that anytime soon, but at least modern technology makes it much easier to prepare for it. Even without snow, there are plenty of things to do in South Carolina in the winter. Feeling inspired? Try planning your own trip using Only In Your State’s itinerary planner.