On Monday afternoon, Hartsville, Bamberg, Florence and Charleston reached 70 degrees. An abrupt change was observed on Tuesday as pre-frontal rains changed to freezing rain, sleet and snow. The Cheraw AP noted a temperature fall from 68 degrees at 3:15 p.m. on Monday to 28 degrees at 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Charleston city residents reported light sleet at 9:18 a.m. and light sleet was again observed falling at the Columbia Metro AP at noon. As the atmosphere became more saturated during the late afternoon hours, freezing rain began coating surfaces across the Midlands and into the Lowcountry while light snow began falling over the Upstate. Accumulating light to moderate snow fell in a corridor from near Calhoun Falls through Columbia, south into Orangeburg and east into Florence. Sandy Run and Bennettsville measured 4 inches. Pelion, Lugoff, Chesterfield and Dillon reported 3-inch snows. Freezing rain, sleet and light snow closed bridges within Charleston County and caused interruptions to electrical service. The Hilton Head AP reported light snow at 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Wednesday's daytime temperatures, under cloudy skies, hovered near the freezing mark. The Thursday morning low temperature at Cedar Creek and Chesnee fell to 6 degrees. Rock Hill and Union reported 9 degrees and Calhoun Falls, Saluda, Cheraw and Chester noted a minimum of 10 degrees. At noon, Myrtle Beach had only reached 28 degrees while further south, Charleston reported 30 degrees and Beaufort reported 32 degrees. Thursday's afternoon and evening lingering precipitation along the southern coast included brief observations of snow for the Isle of Palms and more freezing rain and sleet for Charleston. Middle 50-degree temperatures on Friday helped melt much of the snow and ice. Summerville was one of the few locations to reach 60 degrees. The January 2014 rainfall ranged from a greatest value of 5.09 inches at Laurens to a least value of 1.43 inches at Orangeburg. Showers arrived early on Saturday morning leaving 0.44 inches of rain at Bamberg and 0.35 inches at Barnwell. Cloudy, rainy conditions only allowed for a 45-degree afternoon high temperature at Florence and Kingstree. Twenty-four hour rainfalls ending Sunday morning included 1.12 inches at Dillon, 0.58 inches at Orangeburg and 0.47 inches at Blackville. Dense fog at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning reduced visibilities to less than one-quarter of a mile across central South Carolina and "zero" at McEntire Air National Guard. Southerly surface winds and extended breaks for sunshine allowed for modest warming on Sunday afternoon. The Charleston AP reached 73 degrees, making it their warmest day since January 10. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was seven degrees below the long-term average.
The highest official temperature reported was 74 degrees at Witherbee on February 2. The lowest official temperature reported was 4 degrees at Caesars Head on January 29. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.26 inches at Cades ending at 7:00 a.m. on January 29. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 0.3 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Anderson AP 0.04 3.17 -1.0
Greer AP 0.07 3.16 -0.9
Charlotte, NC AP 0.11 2.91 -0.7
Columbia Metro AP 0.24 3.42 -0.4
Orangeburg AP 0.89 2.74 -1.4
Augusta, GA Bush AP 0.28 2.50 -1.7
Florence AP 0.83 2.84 -0.6
N Myrtle Beach AP 0.30 1.82 -2.1
Charleston AP 0.87 2.95 -1.0
Savannah, GA AP 0.46 2.56 -1.3
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 48 degrees, Charleston 53 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. The ocean water temperature at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach was unavailable. Charleston Harbor reported a water temperature of 47 degrees.
