WEATHER SUMMARY
Warm, sunny weather was observed on Monday before a frontal boundary slowly positioned across the state on Tuesday with cooler temperatures under a blanket of clouds. Areas of low pressure formed along the front Wednesday with generous rains falling over most inland sites. Heavy rainfall totals were measured across the midlands and upstate. A rapid warmup occurred on Thursday behind westerly winds with 90 degree afternoon temperatures. A second front approached on Friday with thunderstorms which caused damaging, high winds over western counties and golf ball sized hail in Charleston County. Storms continued on Saturday with at least two unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Ridgeville and Ladson. Clouds exited Sunday afternoon for a sunny end to the week. For the period, the state average temperature was three degrees above normal.
PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA
The highest temperature was 97 degrees at Jamestown on May 2. The lowest temperature was 42 degrees at Salem and Lake Bowen on the morning of April 30. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall was 2.80" at Ware Shoals ending at 7:00 a.m. on May 2. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 1.4".
Precipitation
Period 2002 Deviation* Temperature
Location Total Total From Avg. Maximum Minimum
Greer 3.09 15.19 3.0B 85 49
Columbia 3.17 12.68 3.8B 91 48
Florence 0.54 9.02 5.3B 90 51
Charleston 0.76 11.41 3.0B 93 56
N Myrtle Beach 0.15 6.86 6.6B 90 54
Augusta, Ga. 0.74 10.77 5.8B 90 49
A=Above, B=Below
Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the 24-hour period ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL
4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 73 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF
South Carolina river stages were below normal and rising.
Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 70 degrees.
sco@water.dnr.state.sc.us http://water.dnr.state.sc.us/climate/sco/weekly/wk050502.html