It was the coldest Christmas, in 2022, in almost 40 years. The National Weather Service said it was in the mid-teens the night before Christmas Eve. It was also in the teens on Christmas Eve and on Christmas night in Lexington County.

So what was the result? There was plenty of sunshine and the skies were clear, so there was no snow or sleet. But standing water was icing over. That’s something you don’t see much of in Lexington County. There was also a very hard frost. Frozen, or burst water pipes were also a danger. Overloading of the power grid, and loss of electricity, was another possibility.

Here are some photos taken around Northside Middle School and Riverbank Elementary on Monday morning, in West Columbia.