A First Alert Weather Day has been declared for Tuesday and into Wednesday morning as a rare Winter Storm Warning has been issued beginning Tuesday afternoon across much of our area.

The forecast doubled the amount of snow expected in the Columbia area, as up to 2 inches of the white stuff is now forecast to accumulate, according to the warning. Between 2-3 inches of snowfall is possible in the southern reaches of the Midlands, meteorologists said in the briefing. Localized amounts in other areas could be higher.