SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

May 6 - 12, 2002

WEATHER SUMMARY

Cooler weather started the week with Monday morning low temperatures in the 40's and 50's. This was short lived as sunny warm conditions followed through Friday. During the work week a cast of smoke from wildfires in southeastern Georgia reduced visibility across central and eastern counties. A frontal boundary divided the state late Friday and became the focus for thunderstorms late that evening and early Saturday morning. Several sites within the central midlands saw the heavens unload with rainfall amounts between two and four inches within six hours. Counties west and south missed out on the much needed rain. Clearing skies and warm temperatures on Sunday made for a pleasant Mother's Day. For the period, the state average temperature was five degrees above normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The highest temperature was 96 degrees at Allendale on May 9. The lowest temperature was 45 degrees at Hartsville, Union, Cades and Loris on the morning of May 6. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall was 4.47" at Columbia AP on May 11. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.5".

                     Precipitation
               Period     2002   Deviation*         Temperature
Location        Total    Total    From Avg.       Maximum   Minimum	
Greer            0.38    15.57        3.6B           88       50                       	              	
Columbia         4.47    17.15        0.0B           92       50
Florence         1.88    10.90        4.2B           91       49	        
Charleston       0.00    11.41        3.7B           91       54
N Myrtle Beach   0.76     7.62        6.5B           84       51
Augusta, Ga.     0.00    10.77        6.5B           93       48
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 75 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were below normal and rising. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 74 degrees.