What started as a mild Monday in South Carolina ended cold, wet and gray. At 3:00 p.m., Rock Hill reported rain and 39 degrees while a distant Beaufort reported 72 degrees. Shaw AFB in Sumter recorded a one hour temperature fall of 22 degrees ending at 5:00 p.m. Sleet was observed in Lancaster at 5:35 p.m. During the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 4, snow fell in Easley and at the Grenville-Spartanburg AP. Mullins recorded the state's greatest 24-hour temperature fall from a Monday high of 69 to a Tuesday low of 22 degrees (47 degrees). At noon, Florence reported 30 degrees and north winds steady at 15 mph. Chester, Saluda and Winnsboro recorded afternoon high temperatures of just 37 degrees. The 40-degree high temperature at Charleston AP was their coldest March afternoon in 25 years. The Wednesday high temperature for a cloudy Sumter just made it to 37 degrees. Clarks Hill and Newberry reported Thursday high temperatures of only 39 degrees while areas of heavy rain began to fall over the South Carolina. Near midnight, northeast winds gusted to 50 mph at the Grand Strand AP in N Myrtle Beach. Twenty-four hour rainfall amounts ending on Friday morning included 2.42 inches at Longtown, 2.33 inches at Fountain Inn and 2.00 inches at Sandhill. Multi-day totals through Friday reached 3.13 inches at Clinton, 2.75 inches at Greenwood and 2.69 inches at Darlington. Although Chesnee and Union began Saturday at a sub-freezing 30 degrees, an abrupt change in the direction of surface winds sent the mercury back to more springlike conditions. The Clemson-Oconee AP Saturday maximum temperature reached a mild 73 degrees. Mostly sunny, warm weather pushed the Sunday temperatures to 77 degrees at Bamberg and Beaufort, and to 75 degrees in Orangeburg and Georgetown. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was eight degrees below the long-term average.
The highest official temperature reported was 79 degrees at Charleston AP on March 9. The lowest official temperature reported was 19 degrees at Longtown on March 4. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.67 inches at Catawba ending at 7:00 a.m. on March 7. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 1.8 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Anderson AP 1.84 7.52 -1.5
Greer AP 2.00 8.24 -0.9
Charlotte, NC AP 2.28 9.20 1.3
Columbia Metro AP 2.00 8.32 0.0
Orangeburg AP 1.48 7.40 -1.4
Augusta, GA Bush AP 0.55 6.76 -2.4
Florence AP 1.86 7.54 0.4
N Myrtle Beach AP 1.52 5.64 -2.6
Charleston AP 2.31 6.43 -1.3
Savannah, GA AP 1.23 5.34 -2.2
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 55 degrees, Charleston 56 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were near to above normal. Charleston Harbor reported a water temperature of 52 degrees.
