SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

The 1999 Winter season's coldest air mass settled across South Carolina on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Early morning low temperatures on Tuesday were the lowest in three years. Daytime highs ranged in the 30's. Recovery efforts from the prior weeks icing in the upstate were slowed. Record minimums were reported in Charleston (17 F) and Myrtle Beach (18 F) on Wednesday. A weak area of low pressure passed near the South Carolina mountains Wednesday evening with rains, changing to brief snow flurries, observed in Greenville. Milder weather followed into the weekend. Light showers, ahead of another cold front, occurred Saturday over mostly western and central counties while coastal sites warmed into the low 70's. Sunday's weather was cold and breezy with afternoon hightemperatures peaking in the 40's. Statewide temperatures for the week averaged six degrees below normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The maximum observed temperature was 73 degrees on January 9 at Beaufort. The minimum observed temperature was 5 degrees at Caesars Head on the morning of January 5. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall was 0.70 inches at Myrtle Beach ending 7:00 a.m. on January 9. Statewide rainfall for the period averaged 0.2 inches.

               Precipitation
               Period     1999     Deviation*      Temperature
Location       Total      Total     From Avg.    Maximum   Minimum
Greer          0.15       1.4         0.1A         59        14
Charlotte, NC  0.02       1.4         0.3A         59        12 
Columbia       0.01       0.9         0.5B         60        15    
Florence FAA   0.09       1.3         0.2A         65        16
Blackville     0.12       1.2         0.1B         67        10
Augusta, GA    0.08       0.9         0.4B         68        13 
Beaufort       0.15       0.9         0.3A         73        22 
Charleston AP  0.18       1.2         0.1A         72        17
Myrtle Beach   0.85       1.4         0.1A         68        18

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the prior 24-hrs ending 7:00 a.m. Monday through ending 7:00 a.m. Sunday

ENERGY DEMAND AND AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY

               Degree Days      
                  Actual  
              January  1-10
            Cooling   Heating             
Columbia       0        262
Charleston     0        195
Greenville     0        295

RIVERS AND SURF

Rivers are near normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 50 degrees.