Below freezing temperatures ahead

The S.C. Emergency Management Division encourages everyone in the state to be prepared for below freezing conditions that are expected to continue after this weekend’s winter storm. Residents should be prepared for extreme cold and hazardous conditions caused by ice. South Carolinians unaccustomed to dealing with life-threatening aspects of severe cold should remember to keep exposure to cold weather to a minimum. Frostbite is harmful and painful. Hypothermia, or low body temperature, can be lethal, and it is particularly hard on infants and the elderly. When the weather turns dangerously cold, don’t go outdoors unless you have to. If you must go out, dress in layers and cover your ears, head and hands. Remember, high wind speeds dramatically increase the effects of cold temperatures by increasing the “wind chill factor.”