The Monday morning 8:00 a.m. observations along the southern coast included dense fog with visibilities reduced to "zero" at Hilton Head and Johns Island. On the last day of winter, date-record warmth was recorded at Greenville-Spartanburg AP (85 degrees), Florence AP (85 degrees) and N Myrtle Beach AP (81 degrees.) A few storm cells dropped south into the northern counties and Pee Dee region on Tuesday morning. Cheraw measured one of the heavier amounts with 0.19 inches of rain. Columbia's Hamilton-Owens AP reported a March 20, first day of spring, high temperature of 86 degrees. Pockets of heavy rain developed over the Lowcountry during the early afternoon hours of Wednesday. Jamestown received 0.74 inches and Givhans received 0.72 inches. Scattered rains on Thursday left 0.89 inches in the gage at Marion. The thermometers at Kingstree, Hartsville and Hardeeville each indicated a Friday afternoon high temperature of 86 degrees. Thunderstorms formed on Saturday afternoon for much of the Piedmont and eastward to the coast. Hailstones of 1.25 inches in diameter fell on parts of Sumter and Union counties. Large hail of up to one-inch in diameter pelted portions of Lexington, Newberry, Richland, Barnwell and Bamberg counties. Localized flooding was reported in the city of Columbia. Sandy Run measured a rainfall total of 1.53 inches. Winds gusted to 52 mph atop the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston. Sunday morning temperatures cooled to 49 degrees at Johnston and the McEntire ANG AP, located near Eastover. With the exception of the Pee Dee and coastal observation sites, most of the state reported clearing skies on Sunday afternoon and temperatures more in line with the season. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was ten degrees above normal.
The highest official temperature reported was 91 degrees at the University of South Carolina Campus on March 19. The lowest official temperature reported was 48 degrees at W Pelzer on March 25. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 3.56 inches at the Pelion ending at 7:00 a.m. on March 25. The state average rainfall for the period was 0.9 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Total Total from Avg
Greer AP 0.32 7.83 -3.6
Anderson AP 0.24 7.69 -3.6
Columbia Metro AP 1.16 6.33 -3.9
Orangeburg AP 0.43 6.30 -4.5
Charlotte, NC AP 0.46 7.01 -3.0
Augusta, GA Bush AP 0.66 4.52 -6.7
Florence AP 2.41 8.34 -0.5
N Myrtle Beach AP 0.38 6.38 -3.9
Charleston AP 1.08 8.42 -1.2
Savannah, GA AP 0.66 8.13 -1.3
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 66 degrees, Charleston 67 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were below normal. No ocean water temp reports from either the Springmaid Pier in SC or the Johnny Mercer Pier in NC.
