SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Mild to warm weather with afternoon high temperatures in the 70's began the last full week of December. A slow moving, cold air mass approached the state on Tuesday. On Wednesday the boundary stalled across the Piedmont. Warm, moist air overrunning a layer of freezing temperatures near the surface produced icing on trees, power lines and elevated roadways in the upstate. Cloudy skies, off and on showers and cold northerly winds held daytime temperature readings on Thursday and Christmas Friday in the 30's. Additional icing of elevated surfaces was reported across the northeastern counties around Florence Saturday. The week ended with a mix of drizzle and clouds. Statewide temperatures for the week averaged near normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The maximum observed temperature was 80 degrees on December 22 at Cades and Kingstree. The minimum observed temperature was 17 degrees at Cedar Creek on the morning of December 27. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall was 2.20 inches at Summerville ending 7:00 a.m. on December 26. Statewide rainfall for the period averaged 1.62 inches.

                Precipitation
               Period     1998     Deviation*       Temperature
Location       Total      Total     From Avg.    Maximum    Minimum   
Greer          1.60       51.8        1.0A         66         25 
Charlotte, NC  1.90       40.9        1.8B         71         22 
Columbia       0.93       46.5        2.9B         76         23    
Florence FAA   1.29       43.8        0.4A         78         23
Blackville     1.49       48.1        1.5A         79         27
Augusta, GA    0.74       47.7        3.5A         79         30 
Beaufort       2.08       55.0        4.0A         78         32 
Charleston AP  2.32       67.6       16.6A         79         29
Myrtle Beach   E1.15      58.8       12.3A         79         27
*A=Above, B=Below         E=Estimate                                                              

ENERGY DEMAND AND AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY

                  Degree Days      
                    Actual  
                 December 1-27
                Cooling   Heating             
Columbia          16        349
Charleston        26        246
Greenville         4        443

RIVERS AND SURF

Rivers are near normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 53 degrees.