Southwest winds, ahead of an approaching frontal boundary, gusted to 41 mph at Beaufort and Charleston before Monday's light of day. Rainfalls during the same time period left 1.25 inches at Pickens and 0.80 inches at both Saluda and Sandhill. West-to-east clearing was observed from late morning but with it another episode of high winds out of the west. A sampling of gusting west winds included 51 mph at Columbia Metro AP, 50 mph at Fort Sumter, 49 mph at Orangeburg AP and 43 mph at N Myrtle Beach AP. Freezing air rushed into South Carolina overnight. Chesnee's Tuesday morning observation of 17 degrees and Darlington's 25 degrees both indicated a temperature fall of 39 degrees from Monday's mild afternoon. It was 18 degrees in Sandy Springs, 19 degrees in Cedar Creek, 23 degrees in Cheraw and 32 degrees at Ft Moultrie. At 3:00 p.m., Spartanburg, Aiken and Marion each reported 46 degrees. Overcast skies on Wednesday preceded the return of showers. At 6:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, Beaufort and Charleston reported rain and 46 degrees. A weak area of low pressure tracked northeastward over the offshore waters limiting the rainfall coverage to the immediate beaches and inland across the coastal plain. Edisto Beach received 0.80 inches and 0.65 inches fell in Andrews. Allendale's 63 degrees was the state's mildest temperature value observed on Thursday. Bitter cold was drawn into the state for Friday. Rock Hill and Union recorded temperatures of 15 degrees. Sumter's Shaw AFB reached 21 degrees and Edisto Beach recorded their coldest morning since January 8 with 30 degrees. The runway thermometer at N Myrtle Beach Grand Strand AP only made it to 42 degrees on Friday afternoon. Northeast winds on Friday veered southwest for Saturday with sharply moderating temperatures. Anderson AP, Bishopville and Kingstree reported a Saturday high temperature of 64 degrees. Despite Sunday's gusting southwest winds that peaked at 35 mph at the Greenville Downtown and York County airports, lower 70-degree temperatures were common over central and near-coastal locations. At 2:53 p.m., Florence Regional AP reached a Sunday maximum temperature of 72 degrees and marked their warmest day since January 4. Both airports in Columbia reported 71 degrees. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was one degree below the long-term average.
WEATHER SUMMARY:
The highest official temperature reported was 74 degrees at Allendale and Hardeeville on February 8. The lowest official temperature reported was 12 degrees at Chesnee on February 6. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.50 inches at Table Rock ending at 7:00 a.m. on February 2. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 0.4 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Anderson AP 0.36 3.70 -1.3
Greer AP 0.36 4.74 -0.1
Charlotte, NC AP 0.39 3.20 -1.1
Columbia Metro AP 0.65 3.25 -1.3
Orangeburg AP 0.39 3.22 -1.6
Augusta, GA Bush AP 0.22 2.33 -2.6
Florence AP 0.68 3.11 -0.9
N Myrtle Beach AP 0.19 4.41 -0.2
Charleston AP 0.86 4.39 -0.2
Savannah, GA AP 0.80 4.92 0.4
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 49 degrees, Charleston 51 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Charleston Harbor reported a water temperature of 51 degrees and Springmaid Pier at Myrtle Beach reported a surf water temperature of 49 degrees.
