In South Carolina, we may be accustomed to the havoc wreaked by Mother Nature by way of hurricanes and tropical storms, but when it comes to snow… we are less hardened to handle the chaos that ensues after a big storm. And during one storm, in particular, the single-largest snowfall in a 24-hour period fell upon the Palmetto State – and the effects were devastating.

It was during February of 1973 that a record 24 inches of snow fell in parts of South Carolina in just 24 hours. And even more fell as the massive storm lingered for days and dumped several feet of snow in our front and back yards.
Flickr/Emily Harrison
The quickly falling snow almost immediately left the state paralyzed and thousands of motorists who were passing through were stranded on the interstates. Snow drifts measuring up to eight feet were reported.
Flickr/Ryon Edwards
No one was left untouched by the wrath of the horrific storm. Hotels were filled, sometimes beyond capacity.
Flickr/Hunter Desportes

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And South Carolina residents opened their doors to those complete strangers who were stranded in vehicles.
Flickr/Frank Dibona
Even though the largest snowfall was recorded in just a short 24 hours, the Great Snowstorm of 1973 pounded South Carolina for days.
Facebook/South Carolina State Parks
The state was unprepared for such a storm — but neither were the other states that were affected. So much snow fell that there were reports of some 200 buildings that collapsed under the weight. As many as 11 deaths in South Carolina were attributed to the storm.
Flickr/zizzybaloobah

Without a doubt, the worst snowstorm in South Carolina history left an indelible impression in the minds and hearts of those that lived through it. Do you have memories of this storm? We’d love to know.

That being said, not all snowfall has such an adverse affect upon the state. Keep reading to take a look at 13 Times Snow Transformed South Carolina Into The Most Beautiful Scenery.

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