Be prepared for a possible icy blast from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday, complete with a chance for snow, sleet, and freezing rain.

Thank an developing area of low pressure off the Southeast coast, dropping Monday night temperatures to 32° and capping Tuesday's temperature at 34°. 

Wednesday will continue the chill with temperatures struggling to get above freezing and the chance of a wintry mix nearing 100% with freezing rain and sleet transitioning to snow shortly after midnight. Temperatures will slide again Wednesday night to near 22° before things begin to recover on Thursday.

Still, don't expect too much of a winter wonderland, Wednesday snow accumulations are limited to 1/4 of an inch in the Lowcountry.

The National Weather Service writes:

The arctic cold front will stall out to the east of the Gulf Stream and a wave of low pressure will develop along it by late Tuesday. Ahead of the low copious amounts of moisture will advect northeast out of the Gulf of Mexico as upper forcing intensifies ahead of a large piece of the deepening polar vortex.

This will result in a gradual and steady increase in light precipitation Tuesday morning across the south/east and late morning or early afternoon across the north/west.

Tuesday night dangerous conditions will develop as the peak of the winter storm impacts the area. Orecipitation will continue to expand and become moderate or even locally heavy at times through the night.

Freezing rain and sleet will transition to snow across the interior before midnight, with the transition line to all snow steadily working its way east/se to the coast by sunrise Wednesday as low pressure begins to pull away from the area. Our latest thinking is that snow accumulations will reach 2-3 inches along the northwest tier, with up to 1/3 to 1/2 inch of ice expected.

Stay warm, drip your pipes, cover your plants, and ensure your animals are warm.