SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

August 26 - September 1, 2002

WEATHER SUMMARY

After a warm and mostly sunny day on Monday a wet weather pattern set in for the entire week. With a stationary low pressure to the state's west and high pressure offshore, an axis of convergence wavered over the eastern counties producing daily rains. Several coastal sites received heavy rains which caused minor flooding. Counties extending east from the Piedmont received the bulk of the precipitation which was a great help in stabilizing the severe drought conditions. For the period, the state average temperature was four degrees below normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The highest temperature reported was 92 degrees at St. George on August 26. The lowest temperature reported was 50 degrees at Caesars Head on the morning of September 1. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 4.78" at Florence ending at 7:00 a.m. on August 28. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 3.5."

                     Precipitation
               Period     2002    Deviation*          Temperature
Location        Total    Total     From Avg.       Maximum   Minimum	
Greer            0.40    25.11         9.9B           85        64                       	              	
Columbia         2.86    28.03         7.5B           88        68
Florence         6.06    26.06         6.3B           86        67	        
Charleston       6.25    36.86         0.0B           86        70
N Myrtle Beach   5.51    24.38         6.5B           83        69
Augusta, Ga.     0.61    22.85         9.3B           88        69 
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 83 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages are rising.
Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 83 degrees.