The week started with a warm front, associated with a wave of low pressure, located near the coast and a cold front approaching the state from the west. The combination of the two systems increased the rain chances on Monday, November 5. The CoCoRaHS stations in Berkeley and Dorchester counties reported over an inch of rain, with the stations in Summerville measuring over 2 inches of rain that morning. The National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Station in Summerville recorded a 24-hour rainfall total of 2.25 inches. The warm front lifted northward, away from the coast and pushed into the Midlands by Monday evening. During the early morning of Tuesday, November 6, the Storm Prediction Center issued a Tornado Watch for portions of the Upstate and Piedmont ahead of a strong cold front that had spawned tornadoes across the Southeast and Midwest the previous night. Dense fog was observed across most of the state during the morning commute and visibilities were reduced to 0.5 miles in some locations. The maximum temperatures for the day were in the upper 70's to mid-80's, which was 10 degrees or more above normal across the state, especially from the I-20 corridor toward the coast. The maximum temperature of 85 degrees at the Charleston International Airport is the second warmest temperature on record for November 6. According to the NWS, there were no reports of significant storm damage as the cold front pushed through the Upstate.
Drier and mild air moved into the Upstate behind the front on Wednesday, with low temperatures reported about 5 degrees above normal. Elsewhere, the cold front transitioned to a stationary boundary and stalled out near the coast. The minimum temperatures were above normal, and the 68 degrees reported from the Charleston International Airport was the warmest low temperature for November 7 in its period of record. The maximum temperatures were normal to above normal on both Wednesday and Thursday and ranged from the upper 60's to low 80's across the state. The minimum temperature of 60 degrees observed in Pelion Thursday morning was 19 degrees above the normal value of 51 degrees for this time of year. Despite some beneficial rainfall that fell across the state during the prior 7-day period, the Thursday, November 8, release of the National Drought Monitor, dry (D0) to moderate (D1) drought conditions were still reported in portions of the Lowcountry counties, especially along the coast of Beaufort and Jasper counties and inland to include Allendale and Hampton counties. Rain, heavy at times, fell across the Lowcountry and Midlands early Thursday morning as a weak area of low-pressure pushed off the coast. The NWS station in Bamberg reported a 24-hour rainfall total of 1.72 inches, which broke the previous daily rainfall record of 0.72 inches set back in 1996.
Another round of dense fog the morning of Friday, November 9, reduced visibilities to less than 0.25 mile in portions of the Midlands and Pee Dee regions. The minimum temperatures were up to 15 degrees warmer than normal, with stations in Aiken, Columbia and Florence reporting low temperatures near 60 degrees. During the last morning of the early November King Tides, the Charleston Harbor tidal gauge observed an astronomical high tide value of 7.16 ft. mean lower low water (MLLW) around 9:00 a.m. on Friday and caused saltwater flooding in low-lying areas near Market Street in downtown Charleston. Cold air damming (CAD) north of the Interstate 20 corridor helped keep maximum temperatures in the 50's, which was up to 15 degrees below normal at stations in Anderson, Calhoun Falls, Chester, Greenville and Laurens. Outside of the area impacted by the CAD event, maximum temperatures were slightly below normal in Midlands, above normal along the coast.
By Saturday, November 10, another cold front moved through the state and made it to the coast. Behind it, a cool Canadian high pressure produced below normal temperatures and clear skies remain across the Southeast over the weekend. The maximum temperatures across the state ranged from the upper 40's in some of the mountainous locations to upper 50's to low 60's in the Midlands to near 70 by the coast. The winds diminished overnight and combined with clear skies, radiational cooling in the Upstate and Piedmont regions allowed for overnight temperatures to drop into the mid to upper 20's, nearly 10 degrees below normal. During Sunday afternoon, most of the state recorded maximum temperatures more than 5 degrees below normal, as temperatures at some locations struggled to make it to the 50's. The temperatures were listed in the top 10 coldest high temperatures for the date at Columbia, Florence, Hartsville, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg. The maximum temperature of 50 degrees was the fourth coldest November 11 on record for Little Mountain, based on the 126-year period of record.
A low-pressure system was forecast to advance across the state, signaling a return to chilly and unsettled weather with increased rain chances at the beginning of the next 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 | 1.6 | 47.37 | 9.7 |
| Greer Airport | 1.46 | 50.33 | 9.7 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.99 | 47.77 | 11.4 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.06 | 37.92 | -1.7 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.55 | 37.87 | -3.6 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.93 | 45.34 | 7.0 |
| Florence Airport | 1.08 | 48.42 | 10.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.83 | 56.92 | 10.3 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 1.15 | 44.60 | -1.8 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.64 | 33.47 | -10.0 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 50 degrees. Columbia: 57 degrees. Barnwell: 55 degrees. Mullins: 50 degrees.
Rainfall totals were normal to above normal across the state over the 7-day period. The heaviest rainfall was concentrated in coastal portions of the Lowcountry and along the Interstate 20 corridor in the Central Savannah River Area. The light to moderate intensity of the rainfall did not cause any significant flash flooding or river flooding issues, though many rivers reported an increase in streamflow values and stage heights, which were above normal for this time of year. Most of the rivers in the Upstate and Piedmont, including Saluda River at Greenville and Catawba River near Rock Hill, saw a marked increase in streamflow from the rainfall during the end of the week. The rivers within the Pee Dee Watershed continued to report streamflow values much above normal and were forecast to hit minor flood stage, and in the Midlands, the Congaree River at Carolina Eastman was expected to reach moderate flood stage during the upcoming week.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 65.8 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 66.9 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): Not Available.
