Dry and cool air started off the early part of the work week, with high pressure in place over the Mid-Atlantic. On the morning of Monday, October 22, temperatures in the lower to mid-30's were observed in the Upstate, and patchy frost was seen across portions of the Midlands, as temperatures dropped more than 10 degrees below normal. The near freezing temperatures signaled the potential end to the growing season for many locations. The National Weather Service (NWS) stations at Saluda, Santuck and on the campus of Winthrop University recorded low temperatures of 34 degrees. The maximum temperatures were 5 to 10 degrees below normal across the state, with many stations reporting high temperatures in the mid-60's to lower 70's.
Temperatures began to rebound toward more seasonal values, as a dry, weak cold front approached the state early on Tuesday, October 23. Morning low temperatures at or below freezing were measured at the NWS stations in Jocassee, Graniteville, Chesnee and Cedar Creek. The minimum temperature of 36 degrees in Winnsboro was the 8th coldest value for the day in its 112-year period of record. During the overnight hours, the front pushed toward the coast, and behind it, high pressure set up to the northwest of the state on October 24. The period of calm weather persisted into Wednesday and maximum temperatures across South Carolina were still slightly below normal.
With very little rainfall across the state during the prior 10-day period, the Thursday, October 25 release of the National Drought Monitor showed no changes to the current dry conditions (D0) in Oconee, Anderson, Abbeville, McCormick and Edgefield counties, and along the coast into Charleston County and inland to include Colleton, Bamberg and Allendale counties. Moderate drought conditions (D1) were still seen in portions of the Lowcountry counties. The dry high pressure that had dominated the weather for most of the week started to give way to an increase in moisture ahead of a low-pressure system developing along the Gulf Coast. Widespread rain started to fall overnight Thursday and into Friday as the system pulled northeast, across the Southeast US. The CoCoRaHS stations in Anderson and Oconee counties measured nearly 1.50 inches of rain from the storm system. Other CoCoRaHS stations in areas of the Upstate and Piedmont recorded over an inch of rain.
Under a wedge of cold air, maximum temperatures north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor were nearly 20 degrees below normal and struggled to get out of the mid-50's during Friday, October 26. The NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport had a high of 49 degrees, which broke the previous record of 57 degrees in 2013 and the station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport only reached a maximum temperature of 53 degrees, breaking the previous record (57 degrees) from 1957 by five degrees. Areas closer to the coast remained on the other side of the warm front and recorded temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70's, including stations in Charleston, Georgetown and Walterboro. The Charleston Harbor tidal gauge observed an astronomical high tide value of 7.37 ft. mean lower low water (MLLW) around 9:00 a.m. on Friday, and saltwater flooding was reported in a few low-lying areas
Behind the system, a shot of reinforcing cool air moved into the state throughout the weekend. The northwest flow supported mostly cloudy skies across the state. During the morning of October 27, gusty winds were reported at a few stations in the Upstate, including a gust of 33 mph at both the Clemson/Oconee and Anderson Airports, and gusts of 25 mph at the Greenville-Spartanburg and Greenwood Airports. Temperatures remained below normal for much of the state on Saturday, and high temperatures ranged from the upper 50s to upper 60's. Skies cleared on Sunday, October 28 and temperatures moderated back to near normal values for this time of year with low temperatures in mid-40's and high temperatures in the upper-60's to low-70's.
The week ended with dry and cool high pressure dominating the weather, with another cold front forecast to arrive during the middle of the upcoming week.
(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.)| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 1.32 | 45.07 | 8.8 |
| Greer Airport | 1.60 | 48.19 | 9.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 2.07 | 46.20 | 11.3 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.25 | 35.72 | -2.6 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.85 | 36.04 | -4.2 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.06 | 42.92 | 5.8 |
| Florence Airport | 1.03 | 46.90 | 9.9 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.92 | 54.71 | 9.5 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.31 | 42.48 | -2.7 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.08 | 31.23 | -11.2 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 59 degrees. Columbia: 65 degrees. Barnwell: 58 degrees. Mullins: 52 degrees.
Over the 7-day period, half an inch to three inches of rain fell across the Palmetto State, most of that coming from a single day, Friday, October 26. The light to moderate intensity of the rainfall did not cause any significant flash flooding or river flooding issues. The rain that fell over the Pee Dee Watershed led to a rise in the Pee Dee River at Cheraw and at Pee Dee, but both rivers remained below moderate flood stage. Streamflow values increased due to the rainfall and most of the rivers within the Pee Dee, the northern Midlands, Piedmont and Upstate were reporting streamflow values much above normal. Other rivers across the state were back to normal streamflows, including many of Lowcountry and Central Savannah Area rivers that had been dealing with the persistent dry conditions, such as the Little River near Mt. Carmel.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 68.4 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 70.0 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): Not Available.
