Bennettsville's Monday morning temperature of 32 degrees doubled in value to an afternoon high temperature of 64 degrees. It was quite mild for January with Allendale and Walterboro reporting high temperatures of 71 degrees. Partly cloudy skies on Tuesday kept much of the state's afternoon temperatures in the 60's but those few extra sunshine minutes helped Fountain Inn, Longtown and Hartsville reach 70 degrees. On Wednesday morning, freezing temperatures were limited to the usual cold locations in the Upstate. The Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station warmed to a more early spring value of 72 degrees. Colder air began arriving on Thursday morning. Sandy Springs recorded 25 degrees. Orangeburg's Wednesday high temperature of 71 degrees backed to a Thursday high temperature of 62 degrees. Rainshowers, circulating around a Gulf Coast feature, moved into the state overnight. Despite the Midland's usual sunrise time of around 7:30 a.m., thick clouds and passing rains over the eastern horizon kept the early morning unusually dark. Little Mountain reported a Friday high temperature of just 41 degrees. A strong area of low pressure spun up the coastal waters late Friday night and during the darkness of Saturday morning. Fort Sumter and Grand Strand Airport in N Myrtle Beach both recorded winds gusting to 47 mph. Wind speeds reached 44 mph at Georgetown AP and Springmaid Pier. A 6:00 a.m., a minimum barometric pressure value of 29.51 inches of mercury was observed at the Conway and N Myrtle Beach airports. The heaviest rains fell from Charleston County into Horry County. A CoCoRaHS volunteer at Surfside Beach measured 3.08 inches and another volunteer in Myrtle Beach measured 3.04 inches. Runoff retention ponds and roadside ditches in Georgetown and Horry counties were described at noon on Saturday as "brimming to capacity." Slow west-to-east clearing ended the week and a return to seasonal winter weather. The Table Rock State Park temperature on Sunday morning was a freezing 25 degrees. Greenwood, Lake City and Charleston City recorded a Sunday afternoon high temperature of 59 degrees. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was five degrees above the long-term average.
The highest official temperature reported was 73 degrees at Allendale and Barnwell on January 21. The lowest official temperature reported was 23 degrees at Ninety Nine Islands on January 19. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.30 inches at Myrtle Beach on January 24. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 1.3 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Anderson AP 0.71 2.85 -0.2
Greer AP 1.09 3.86 0.8
Charlotte, NC AP 1.04 2.79 0.0
Columbia Metro AP 0.71 2.60 -0.3
Orangeburg AP 1.54 2.82 -0.3
Augusta, GA Bush AP 1.16 2.10 -1.0
Florence AP 0.90 2.43 -0.2
N Myrtle Beach AP 2.30 4.06 1.2
Charleston AP 1.70 3.53 0.5
Savannah, GA AP 1.62 4.12 1.2
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 49 degrees, Charleston 53 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were near normal. Charleston Harbor reported a water temperature of 53 degrees and Springmaid Pier at Myrtle Beach reported a surf water temperature of 50 degrees.
