SC weather: Columbia temperatures drop to teens as utilities ask customers to reduce power

South Carolina may not have much snow to plow on Christmas Eve, but a massive winter storm crossing much of the United States is being felt across the Palmetto State Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, utility companies are asking South Carolinians to reduce power because of the high consumption due to the weather. One utility has notified users that because of high demand short and temporary power outages will be experienced to protect the grid.

Across the state, temperatures dropped into the teens overnight, with extremely breezy winds into Saturday morning. The National Weather Service in Columbia said on Twitter Saturday morning that wind chill values are in the single digits to below zero in some areas.

“Highs today expected to remain below freezing which would be a Christmas Eve record!” NWS Columbia said.

The Lowcountry still remained under a wind chill advisory Saturday afternoon. It’s recommended South Carolinians use caution when traveling outside, and wear appropriate winter weather clothing, such as a coat, gloves and a hat.

The National Weather Service in Columbia said Saturday’s will be around 31 degrees, with a wind chill as low as zero. Temperatures around Columbia are forecast to drop Saturday night, with a low around 16 degrees, and west wind around 3 to 7 mph.

Christmas Day forecast for Columbia

On Christmas in Columbia, forecasts don’t show a chance of snow, but has temperatures rising slightly to a high near 38 degrees, and a low around 19 degrees.

Dominion Energy, which provides power to much of South Carolina and in the Columbia area, said Saturday it is asking residents to reduce power consumption over the weekend because of high demands on the electric system.

“Dominion Energy is unable to alert affected customers about exact times or duration if related outages occur. Customers should conserve energy as much as possible,” the utility said.

To reduce power, Dominion recommends:

▪ Setting thermostats to 68 degrees or lower

▪ Turning off non-essential lights

▪ Unplugging appliances and other devices that are not in use

▪ Limiting use of dishwashers, washers and dryers

▪ Making sure HVAC vents are open and not blocked

“We are feeling the effects of historically cold temperatures as our customers are running their heating units extra hard trying to keep warm,” Keller Kissam, Dominion’s president, said in a press release. “Our top priority is keeping every one of our customers safe and warm while our team works hard to manage this situation.

State-owned utility Santee Cooper said Saturday the extreme cold is also “stressing” its system, asking customers and co-op customers to reduce usage as much as possible.

Another utility, Duke Energy, which provides electricity to areas of South Carolina and North Carolina, is taking their advisory over power usage a step further by notifying customers they’ll experience short and temporary outages.

“These emergency outages are necessary to protect the energy grid against longer, more widespread outages,” the company said.

This story may be updated.