WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2015

December 21 - December 27, 2015

WEATHER SUMMARY:

At the end of a gray Monday, December 21, the official start of winter began by announcement only. Light rains became heavy overnight bringing Tuesday morning measurements of 3.70 inches for McCormick, 2.80 inches to Cedar Creek and 2.50 inches to Sandhill. Flash flooding was reported in Greenwood and Richland counties. More heavy rains accompanied the mild air on Tuesday afternoon. Beaufort and Charleston reported a high temperature of 74 degrees. An NWS Storm Survey Team confirmed an EF0 rated tornado touchdown 3 miles south-southwest of Moncks Corner at around 3:27 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Selected heaviest rainfall amounts reported at 7:00 a.m. included 3.06 inches at Galivant's Ferry, 2.96 inches at Hartsville and 2.12 inches at Columbia Metro AP. Wednesday's eerily dark skies, for the time of day, brought damaging high winds to Chapin and parts of Lexington County. Summerville warmed to 78 degrees. The Florence Regional AP Wednesday rainfall of 2.42 inches gave that location a two-day total of 4.12 inches. A nearly stationary boundary became positioned midweek between warm and moist maritime air to the south and the weak forcing from the northwest by modified continental air. Periods of drenching rain fell from the South Carolina Mountains eastward into the Pee Dee through Thursday morning. Table Rock State Park reported 2.83 inches, Laurens received 2.82 inches, 2.20 inches fell on Calhoun Falls and Rock Hill, and McBee measured 1.88 inches. Date record high temperatures arrived on Thursday afternoon for the Florence Regional AP and the Columbia Metro AP with 77 degrees and 80 degrees for the Charleston AP. Bennettsville, Myrtle Beach and Georgetown all recorded 81 degrees. Areas of fog developed on Christmas morning. With the exception of the Upstate counties, partly sunny conditions were observed from late morning into the early evening. Conway and Summerville made it to a warm 79 degrees. Light rains returned late in the day for Oconee County eastward along the North Carolina border and into York County. Walhalla and Rock Hill both received 0.54 inches. Saturday started with fog that preceded another day of record warmth. The Greenville-Spartanburg AP temperature of 76 degrees bested the December 26 record of 73 degrees set in 1971. The Charleston AP 81 degrees replaced the 1942 record of 78 degrees. Sunday's daylight-hour fog gradually lifted but most of the day was cloudy. High temperatures ranged from 72 degrees in Anderson to 80 degrees at Beaufort. McCormick received 6.27 inches of rain during the week.

The highest official temperature reported was 83 degrees at Barnwell on December 24. The lowest official temperature reported was 34 degrees at Caesars Head on December 21. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 3.97 inches at Quinby ending at 7:00 a.m. on December 23. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 3.0 inches. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was twenty-one degrees above the long term average.

PRECIPITATION:

  Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Anderson AP 3.54 48.38 4.8
Greer AP 3.96 56.41 9.7
Charlotte, NC AP 3.61 45.87 4.7
Columbia Metro AP 4.32 62.27 18.1
Orangeburg AP 2.26 54.57 8.2
Augusta, GA Bush AP 3.36 45.45 2.3
Florence AP 4.16 55.56 13.1
N Myrtle Beach AP 1.17 64.08 12.4
Charleston AP 1.14 74.54 23.9
Savannah, GA AP 1.57 47.58 0.0

Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL:

4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 66 degrees, Charleston 72 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF:

South Carolina river stages were near to above normal. The Charleston Harbor Ravenel Bridge reported a water temperature of 65 degrees. Springmaid Pier at Myrtle Beach reported a surf water temperature of 64 degrees.