WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2022

December 27, 2021 - January 2, 2022

WEATHER SUMMARY:

The period was marked by record warmth for the end of December and two rounds of precipitation that helped ease some of the drought conditions across the state. From Monday, December 27, through Sunday, January 2, maximum and minimum temperatures were more than 20 degrees above normal, with values that felt more like late spring than the middle of winter. Overnight lows hovered in the 50s to low 60s, warmer than the typical wintertime maximum temperatures. High temperatures reached the mid to upper 70s, with some locations reaching 80 degrees to start 2022.

On Monday, December 27, a warm, moist air mass over the region caused dense fog, and fog advisories were issued for most of the state. The dense fog dropped visibilities to less than an eighth of a mile in the Lowcountry and Midlands, while visibilities offshore were less than a quarter of a mile. Once the fog burned off, temperatures quickly climbed to unseasonably high values. Southerly flow around a high pressure offshore continued to funnel moisture into the Southeast, keeping temperatures warm and causing scattered showers on Tuesday and Wednesday. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Charleston International Airport broke their December 29 record high temperature of 79 degrees, set back in 1984 and 2015, with a maximum of 80 degrees.

On Thursday, a weak cold front moved through the state, triggering more widespread showers and thunderstorms. Portions of the Central Savannah River Area and interior Lowcountry measured between one to two inches of rainfall. Stronger storms produced hail in Berkeley, Hampton, Dorchester, and Colleton counties. On Friday, a weak frontal boundary stalled across the Lowcountry, causing scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms near the coast. December 2021 was the second warmest December on record in Charleston (since 1937) and Greenville (since 1962); it was the third warmest in Florence (since 1948); and the fourth warmest at Columbia (since 1948).

The State Climatology Office will complete a
South Carolina 2021 Weather Review publication over the next couple of weeks. Please check back for updated information.

The hot temperatures continued into the start of the New Year, making it one of the warmest New Year’s Days on record across the entire state. The NWS station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport tied the record high of 80 degrees set in 1985, and the maximum temperature of 75 degrees at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport broke the previous record of 73 degrees set in 1973. On Sunday, a stronger cold front approached the area, causing widespread rain across the Midlands and portions of the Pee Dee and Upstate. Most of the coastal potions of Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, and Jasper counties missed out on the beneficial rainfall.

Also, over the holiday weekend, the Charleston Harbor tidal gauge reported a morning tide on Saturday of 7.36 ft MLLW and 7.10 ft. MLLW on Sunday morning.

PRECIPITATION:

SOIL TEMPERATURES:

4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 52 degrees. Columbia: 64 degrees. Barnwell: 56 degrees. Mullins: 67 degrees.

PRECIPITATION AND RIVER STAGES:

Two rounds of precipitation fell across portions of the Palmetto State during the period, though most of the rainfall totals were limited to less than half an inch. Some CoCoRaHS observers in the Central Savannah River Area, Piedmont, and Upstate recorded total rain amounts for the period between four and six inches. Areas around Charlotte designated in either moderate (D1) or severe drought (D2) by the United States Drought Monitor received some beneficial rain. Up to three inches of rain fell in the Pee Dee, keeping drought conditions from worsening in the region. Unfortunately, most of the coastal potions of Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, and Jasper counties measured less than half an inch during the period.

While the rain kept the moderate drought and dry conditions from worsening, it did little to improve streamflow values in the Pee Dee. Streamflow values continued to be below normal along the streams and tributaries of the Great Pee Dee and Wateree rivers. The gauges on the Little Pee Dee near Galivants Ferry and the Great Pee Dee at Pee Dee recorded streamflows with less than 10% of normal values. In areas where higher amounts of rain fell, streamflow values returned to near normal conditions, with some above-normal flows reported along the Upper Savannah River. All the rivers in the state recorded heights below the flood stage during the period.

WATER TEMPERATURES: