MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — One of West Virginia’s most popular vacation destinations looked a whole lot like the Mountain State Wednesday morning. There was close to five inches of snow in the greater Myrtle Beach area and the Grand Strand looked a lot more like a ski resort than a summer beach destination.
“It was a little slippery, luckily there were no cars on the road because hardly anyone had to go to work today. Everything shuts down even if they have a threat of snow and we had about three to five or six inches,” said Gary Kyle, DJ at Wave 104.1 in Myrtle Beach.
The snow was also accompanied by sleet and freezing rain which left everything covered with a coating of ice before it all started.
Kyle said snow removal isn’t at the top of the public works department’s area of expertise.
“We don’t have any plow systems, we have a pickup truck with a snow shovel on the front,” joked Kyle. “They put brine and salt on the roads, but we don’t have any plows. On the big highways like I-95 they do, but here in Myrtle Beach they don’t have too much.”
The snow started melting almost immediately when the sun came out Wednesday and the rare southern storm’s aftermath was short lived, but the overnight low in the area is anticipated to be down to 18 degrees. Kyle said he couldn’t remember a time when the area had received that much snow.
“I think it may have been back in the 90’s from what I’m told. This is the most since I’ve lived here and I came in 2006,” he said.
Wednesday’s snow may have been a rarity, but it wasn’t unusual for the local area’s transient population. Most who live in the Myrtle Beach area came from the north and are no stranger to the weather.
“When people retire they come here, nobody ever retires to the north,” laughed Kyle.