The week began with weakening cold frontal boundary along the coast. Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort reported a trace of rain on Monday. High pressure centered over the Gulf coast channeled warm sub-tropical air over the state on Tuesday. Columbia Metro reported a high temperature Tuesday of 79 degrees that tied a date record set in 1967. Columbia's Hamilton Owens Airport's 77-degree high temperature on Tuesday, exceeded the 2006 date record by one degree.
A vigorous cold front passed over the state during the day on Wednesday, December 20. Numerous sites reported rainfall amounts over one inch. The Orangeburg 2 COOP site received 1.77 inches of rain. Beaufort and Georgetown reported 74-degree high temperatures on Wednesday.
High pressure built in over the state Thursday and Friday bringing mild temperatures for the first days of winter. Rock Hill had a Thursday morning low temperature of 37 degrees. Charleston reached 69 degrees on Friday after a morning low of 46 degrees.
Winds turned to the south-southwest for the weekend, ahead an approaching cold front. Columbia and Barnwell warmed to 77 degrees Saturday. Charleston's Christmas Eve high temperature was 72 degrees. Florence reported a 24-hour rainfall of 0.19 inches early Sunday morning.
(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 79 degrees at Columbia Metro on December 19.
The lowest official temperature reported was 23 degrees at Ninety-Nine Islands on December 18.
The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.17 inches at the Orangeburg 2 COOP site for the period ending on December 20.
The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 1.1 inches.
| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 1.17 | 51.50 | 7.9 |
| Greer Airport | 1.57 | 53.11 | 6.8 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.91 | 44.69 | 3.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.10 | 47.38 | 3.5 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.52 | 38.55 | -7.5 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.55 | 44.83 | 2.1 |
| Florence Airport | 1.22 | 42.49 | 0.03 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.36 | 49.02 | -2.4 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.39 | 52.83 | 2.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.22 | 53.03 | 5.8 |
| *Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton 49 degrees. Columbia 56 degrees. Barnwell 48 degrees. Mullins 50 degrees
Upstate river stages were below normal to much below normal.
Midlands and Pee Dee river stages were below normal to much below normal .
Lowcountry river stages were normal.
Charleston Harbor water temperature: 55 degrees.
Fripp Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 55 degrees.
