Snow ends in SC, 10 inches reported near NC border

COLUMBIA - A winter storm brought 4 to 6 inches of snow across much of northern South Carolina, closing schools and causing major traffic problems on Interstate 85, the major highway from Charlotte, N.C., to Atlanta.

The National Weather Service canceled winter storm warnings and advisories early Monday as the snow ended. The service reported up to 7 inches of snow in Gaffney, near the state border, with 4-6 inches blanketing most of the northern counties, said meteorologist Blair Holloway in Greer.

Duke Energy reported about 78,000 customers without electricity Monday morning - 85 percent of them in Spartanburg, Greenville, and Anderson counties.

The snow shut down part of Interstate 85 on Sunday, leaving some drivers stranded for hours. By Monday morning, though, the Department of Transportation reported that traffic was moving tenuously. The DOT reported a truck had jackknifed to avoid some recreational all-terrain-vehicles on the interstate.

High winds toppled a Spartanburg television station's mountaintop transmission tower. Alex Bongiorno, news director of CBS affiliate WSPA, said she heard about the transmitter tower on Hogback Mountain collapsing Sunday afternoon. No one was injured.

Up to 10 inches of snow had accumulated on I-85. The Transportation Department advised residents to stay off the roads in northern counties. By Monday morning, it reported snow on Interstate 85 in Cherokee County near the North Carolina border, shifting to snow and ice in Spartanburg, and patches of ice in Greenville and Anderson County near the Georgia border.

About 940 DOT employees were working to clear roads, using more than 2,400 tons of salt and 965 tons of sand by Monday morning, the agency reported. Most roads in Greenville and Spartanburg counties were expected to be cleared by noon Monday.

Gov. Mark Sanford delayed the opening of state offices in 28 counties in the central and northern parts of the state. The threat of snow had caused school officials across the state to cancel classes, including in the central part of the state.

Snow will begin melting Monday in counties along South Carolina's northern border, as high temperatures reach the upper 30s, but snow will likely remain in shaded areas through Wednesday. Overnight lows Monday will fall back into the teens, but temperatures will warm through the week, Holloway said.