Warming centers opened across the Lowcountry Friday as temperatures dropped and overnight lows plunged into the 20s, creating dangerous conditions for anyone without adequate shelter.

The city of Charleston, Charleston County, and various nonprofit partners activated emergency cold weather protocols. Locations across the region offered heated spaces, hot meals, and connections to social services for those seeking refuge from the cold.

One80 Place, the region’s largest homeless services organization, extended capacity at its facilities and coordinated with other providers to ensure no one who needed shelter was turned away. Churches, community centers, and government buildings supplemented the response.

The cold snap arrived with little warning. Temperatures that felt merely seasonal earlier in the week dropped sharply as a cold front pushed through. Forecasters predicted several nights of dangerous cold before conditions moderated.

For the region’s unsheltered population, cold weather poses immediate survival risks. Hypothermia can set in at temperatures well above freezing, particularly when wind or moisture accelerates heat loss. The combination of cold nights and limited daytime warming creates cumulative stress.

Outreach workers fanned out to known encampments and gathering spots, encouraging people to come inside and providing transportation to warming centers when needed. The work requires relationship-building developed over months and years.

Residents with housing but inadequate heat also sought warming centers. Some older homes in the region lack modern insulation, and utility costs pressure families to keep thermostats low. A warming center offers a few hours of relief.

The centers planned to operate through the weekend before reassessing based on weather forecasts.