SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

January 19 - 25, 2004

WEATHER SUMMARY

Cold and dry, mid-Winter high pressure covered the state during the work week with daily high temperatures in the 50's and freezing mornings. After several waves of re-enforcing cold, winds shifted late Thursday for a temporary trend to milder conditions. By Saturday, high temperatures had climbed into the mid and upper 60's. A sharp cold front dropped south along the eastern seaboard late in the evening and temperatures plummeted overnight and into the day on Sunday. Moist air over running freezing surface air, caused pockets of sleet and freezing rain to begin over western and upstate counties. By midnight, a mixture of snow , sleet and freezing rain was being observed from the midlands and into the upstate. The statewide average temperature for the period was six degrees below normal.

The state's highest reported temperature was 70 degrees at Allendale on January 24. The lowest temperature was 12 degrees at Caesars Head on morning of January 20. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was *0.68" at Greenville on January 25. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.1”.
* Limited reports

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

                             Precipitation                 
                       Weekly   Jan 1  Deviation     
                        Total   Total   From Avg
         Greer           0.68    1.26       -2.1          
      Columbia           0.22    0.51       -2.9
   Augusta, GA           0.45    0.95       -2.7           
      Florence           0.00    0.03       -3.2  
  Myrtle Beach           0.10    0.57       -2.2            
    Charleston           0.02    0.50       -2.6  
   
        
               

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the 24-hour period ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 42 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were below normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and
Savannah will average around 46 degrees.