A few venture out along a snow-covered Meeting Street in December 1989. File/Staff Originally, the forecast called for 1 to 3 inches of snow for Saturday, but when it was over, the Lowcountry woke up to 8 inches of snow. File Itâs been more than 30 years since snow blanketed the grounds of Charleston on Christmas morning. And that wonât change this year. But folks in the Lowcountry are holding fast to their memories from the snowstorm of 1989. That, mixed with destruction from Hugo, made for a year to remember. Hugo was one of the strongest storms to ever hit the Palmetto State. The Category 4 hurricane left behind nearly $10 billion in damage and at least 86 people died as a result.