WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2013

May 13 - May 19, 2013

Unseasonably cold mornings were observed early in the workweek. Walhalla and Hunts Bridge reported 37 degrees on Monday. On Tuesday morning, the Greenville-Spartanburg AP set a date record minimum temperature of 41 degrees and the Columbia Metro AP tied their date record with 44 degrees. At 5:00 p.m., Shaw AFB in Sumter noted a relative humidity value of just 18 percent. Wednesday's desert-type air mass brought the state its highest temperatures since September 7, 2012. Bennettsville recorded 93 degrees. The Sandhill Experiment Station in northeast Richland County measured a 24-hour open pan evaporation water loss of 0.70 inches. Passing clouds on Thursday lowered the surface warming somewhat but both Batesburg and the N Myrtle Beach AP reached 88 degrees. A mostly sunny Friday sent the mercury to 90 degrees at Florence and Georgetown. Scattered thunderstorms in Pickens County left 0.93 inches of rain at Jocassee Dam and 0.73 inches at Clemson. Wet weather coverage increased on Saturday from the Upstate into the Pee Dee. Keowee Dam received 0.87 inches of rain, Chesterfield measured 1.56 inches, and 0.72 inches fell over Darlington. Central South Carolina observed cloudy skies and slow moving thunderstorms on Sunday. Union and Murrells Inlet were just a few locations that made it to 80 degrees. Heavy rains fell within Lexington, Richland and Sumter counties. The rain gage at Shaw AFB indicated a Sunday total of 2.58 inches. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was near the long-term average.

WEATHER SUMMARY:

The highest official temperature reported was 95 degrees at USC Columbia on May 15. The lowest official temperature reported was 31 degrees at Jocassee on May 15. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 3.70 inches at McEntire ANG AP on May 19. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 0.8 inches.

PRECIPITATION:

                                   Precipitation                
                              Weekly   Jan 1   Departure     
                              Total    Total    from Avg     
        Anderson AP            0.38    19.84      2.7
           Greer AP            0.46    22.20      4.2
   Charlotte, NC AP            0.04    18.06      2.4
  Columbia Metro AP            1.31    18.62      3.4
      Orangeburg AP            1.08    17.38      1.4
Augusta, GA Bush AP            0.01    19.23      3.0
        Florence AP            1.74    16.29      2.4
  N Myrtle Beach AP            0.20    16.13      0.2
      Charleston AP            0.00    21.94      6.9
    Savannah, GA AP            0.79    19.54      4.7
     
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.  

SOIL:

4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 72 degrees, Charleston 77 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF:

South Carolina river stages were near normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 71 degrees.