Vehicle crashes reported amid SC snow storm, police ask public to stay off roads

Bella Carpentier, Greenville News

Sat, January 31, 2026 at 6:46 PM UTC

2 min read

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Greenville residents woke up to a sea of white on Jan. 31, but city and police officials are asking people to stay off the roads so they can get to work.

Public works crews spent Friday, Jan. 30 preparing for the winter weather by brining primary routes, connector streets, bridges and slopes.

Snowflakes started to fall about 8 a.m. in the city of Greenville, accumulating quickly through the morning hours. Beth Brotherton, communications director for the city, said in a live stream that while the snow is beautiful, officials want people to stay off the roads so that the plows and first responders can quickly get around.

While the city does not have any road closures listed on its active closures map, there are a handful of accidents posted. One road obstruction was reported near Ridgecrest Drive and Wellington Avenue.

Much of the map is lit up in red and orange, which indicates slow and stop and go traffic.

More: Upstate snow totals increase as winter storm bears down. Live updates

The city encourages people to get outside and see the snow on foot, so roads can stay clear for emergency crews and plows. Brotherton said the city was having issues with cars in ditches and warned that the snow was falling quickly.

According to a post by the city around 11:30 a.m., the Greenville Police Department responded to eight wrecks in 25 minutes. GPD also posted to its Facebook page that officers will not dispatch officers to single-vehicle crashes with no injuries.

"We again urge everyone to stay off the roads, as conditions are extremely unsafe," GPD stated in the post.

According to Greenville County Communications Specialist Bob Mihalic, the county will start plowing its 1,800 miles of mostly secondary or rural roads once the snow stops. He said the county is fully staffed and equipment is prepped and ready to go.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (DPS) also encourages everyone to stay off the roads, but the agency offers safe driving tips if travel is necessary.

Drivers should take a few minutes to heat up and defrost their cars before leaving for their destination. This can be done by letting the heat run for a few minutes and applying a solution one-third cup cool water and two-thirds cup rubbing alcohol to your windows.
Make sure the car battery, wipers, tires, brakes, heating, defroster and lights are in good condition before driving in the storm.
Reduce driving speeds, increase following distances, avoid abrupt acceleration and use brakes gently. If a car starts to skid, take your foot off the accelerator, steer in the direction you want the car to go and gently pump the brakes.

Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Police officials report vehicle crashes, urges public to say off roads

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