A broad ridge of high pressure fixed over the U.S. east coast kept warm and very dry conditions across the state through Friday. High temperatures reached 92 degrees at the Barnwell COOP stations on Saturday. Coastal CoCoRaHS stations reported meager rainfall amounts during the week. The Bluffton 2.9 ENE CoCoRaHS site reported a 24-hour rainfall total, ending Tuesday morning, of 0.15 inches. A coastal trough developed just offshore Friday and produced 0.70 inches of rain at Georgetown.
High pressure weakened and drifted east starting Friday allowing a moist southerly flow of subtropical air over the state for the weekend. Friday's coastal trough rotated inland early Saturday bringing a line of light rain and drizzle across the state before noon. The Columbia Metro Airport reported 0.52 inches of rain and a Saturday high temperature of 89 degrees.
Early Sunday, Hurricane Nate made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi. With the subtropical high displaced to the east, the remnants of Nate were steered north, then northeast into the Ohio River Valley on Sunday. Although the center of circulation was well west of South Carolina, Nate's expansive cloud shield covered the state. Embedded severe storm crossed over the Upstate and northern Midlands Sunday afternoon and produced five tornadoes (see table below). The tornadoes produced widespread tree damage along their paths. Numerous homes and outbuildings were also damaged by the tornadoes. Despite persistent cloud cover Sunday, the Columbia Metro Airport observed a high temperature of 89 degrees. The Jocassee COOP observer reported a 24-hour rainfall amount of 7.05 inches attributable to the remnants of Hurricane Nate. The Greenville-Spartanburg Airport received 2.42 inches of rainfall Sunday while the Charleston Air Force Base received only one one hundredth of an inch.
| Est. Start Time | Location/County | Max. Rating | Est. Max. Winds | Max. Width | Path Length | Inj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4:10 PM | Cross Hill/Laurens | EF2 | 120 mph | 100 yards | 38 miles | 1 |
| 4:20 PM | Chappels/Newberry | EF1 | 108 mph | 50 yards | 2.4 miles | 0 |
| 4:35 PM | Norris/Pickens | EF2 | 130 mph | 300 yards | 8.4 miles | 0 |
| 5:30 PM | Buffalo/Union | EF0 | 75 | 50 yards | 0.24 miles | 0 |
| 5:40 PM | Landrum/Spartanburg | EF1 | 95 | 200 yards | 1.5 miles | 0 |
(Note: The highest and lowest official temperatures and highest precipitation totals provided below are based on observations from the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer network and the National Weather Service's Forecast Offices.)
The highest official temperature reported was 92 degrees at Orangeburg 2 and at Barnwell 5 ENE on October 7.
The lowest official temperature reported was 38 degrees at Jocassee 8 WNW on October 3.
The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 7.05 inches at Jocassee 8 WNW on October 9.
The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 0.7 inches.
| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 0.81 | 42.97 | 8.8 |
| Greer Airport | 2.42 | 44.61 | 7.7 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.51 | 38.19 | 5.4 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.65 | 41.95 | 5.6 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.14 | 32.46 | -5.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.63 | 39.29 | 4.2 |
| Florence Airport | 0.44 | 36.14 | 1.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.45 | 40.34 | -2.4 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.16 | 45.35 | 2.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.59 | 48.54 | 8.4 |
| *Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton 74 degrees. Columbia 78 degrees. Barnwell 72 degrees. Mullins 75 degrees
Upstate river stages were normal to much above normal.
Midlands and Pee Dee river stage were below normal to much below normal.
Low Country river stages were normal to below normal.
Charleston Harbor water temperature: 79 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 78 degrees.
