A strong cold front, associated with a rapidly deepening low pressure system over the Great Lakes, thundered over the state on Monday. Strong storms embedded in the frontal boundary produced heavy rain, strong winds, and four tornadoes over counties of the Upstate (see table below). Weather instruments on Sassafras Mountain recorded sustained winds of 35.6 mph with gusts to 55 mph. Sassafras Mountain also received the state's highest weekly rainfall total of 5.82 inches on Monday. Numerous Upstate COOP sites reported 24-hour rainfall amounts over four inches.
| Est. Start Time | Location/County | Max. Rating | Est. Max. Winds | Max. Width | Path Length | Inj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:52 PM | Woodruff/Spartanburg | EF1 | 95 mph | 100 yards | 13.43 miles | 0 |
| 3:12 PM | Spartanburg/Spartanburg | EF2 | 120 mph | 350 yards | 3.05 miles | 1 |
| 3:36 PM | Gaffney/Cherokee | EF2 | 120 mph | 150 yards | 4.96 miles | 0 |
| 10:27 PM | Conway/Horry | EF1 | 95 | 95 yards | 0.6 miles | 0 |
A second, weaker, cold front on Tuesday, ushered in a cooler, drier air mass. Wednesday's low temperature was 34 degrees at Jocassee and the high temperature at North Myrtle Beach only reached 68 degrees. High pressure settled over the state through Saturday. Clear, cool and dry conditions persisted across the state. No rainfall was reported on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Morning low temperatures at Jocassee dipped to 31 degrees on Thursday and Friday.
On Saturday, a cold front approached from the west and triggered scattered rainfall over the Upstate mountains, and only very small amounts elsewhere in the state. The COOP site at Caesars Head reported a 24-hour rainfall total of 2.95 inches during a period ending Sunday morning. The Columbia Metro Airport received no rain for the same period. The cold front passed over the state during the day on Sunday. Sunday's high temperature on Sassafras Mountain, 50.5 degrees, occurred at 12:30 a.m. Sassafras Mountain's low temperature, 26.1 degrees, was recorded at 10:28 p.m. Sunday evening. The North Myrtle Beach Airport observed a high temperature of 73 degrees Sunday.
(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 82 degrees at the Chesterfield 3E COOP site on October 23.
The lowest official temperature reported was 26.1 degrees on Sassafras Mountain on October 29.
The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 5.82 inches on Sassafras Mountain on October 23.
The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 1.9 inches.
| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 4.83 | 48.22 | 11.9 |
| Greer Airport | 4.37 | 49.47 | 10.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 2.03 | 41.63 | 6.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.40 | 42.87 | 4.3 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.59 | 34.97 | -5.5 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.17 | 39.49 | 2.2 |
| Florence Airport | 0.94 | 37.27 | 0.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 2.44 | 44.16 | -1.1 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 1.43 | 48.76 | 3.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.56 | 49.60 | 7.0 |
| *Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton 59 degrees. Columbia 62 degrees. Barnwell 54 degrees. Mullins 46 degrees
Upstate river stages were above normal to much above normal.
Midlands and Pee Dee river stage were below normal to normal.
Lowcountry river stages were normal.
Charleston Harbor water temperature: 70 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 69 degrees.
