On Monday, January 1, the winds shifted from the south to north throughout the day as a dry cold front pushed through the region. Temperatures dropped throughout the day as cold air moved into the area, sub-freezing low temperatures by Tuesday morning. Daytime highs on Tuesday were slightly cooler than normal, reaching the low to mid-50s.
Under clear skies, minimum temperatures on Wednesday morning dropped into the low 20s across portions of the Upstate. By Wednesday afternoon, a low pressure developed and strengthened along the Gulf Coast, and light rain eventually moved into the region as the low tracked south of the state on Wednesday night.
As the low pressure shifted offshore on Thursday, January 4, cooler air moved into the region, and calm conditions prevailed through the day and into Friday due to high pressure. Breezy conditions and rainfall started late Friday and lasted through Saturday as another area of low pressure approached the Carolinas. Most of the rain occurred during the early morning hours on Saturday, and widespread light rain and foggy/misty conditions lingered into the afternoon. A WeatherFlow station at Folly Beach reported a non-thunderstorm wind gust of 44 mph on Saturday afternoon. High pressure settled back into the area on Sunday, providing dry air and cool weather ahead of another storm impacting the region during the upcoming work week.
(Note: The highest and lowest official temperatures and highest precipitation totals provided below are based on observations from the National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer network and the National Weather Service's Forecast Offices.)| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 0.76 | 0.76 | -0.2 |
| Greer Airport | 1.14 | 1.14 | 0.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.08 | 1.08 | 0.2 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.57 | 0.57 | -0.3 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.85 | 0.85 | -0.2 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.71 | 0.71 | -0.2 |
| Florence Airport | 0.63 | 0.63 | -0.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.29 | 0.29 | -0.4 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.48 | 0.48 | -0.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.3 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 43 degrees. Columbia: 51 degrees. Barnwell: 40 degrees. Mullins: 51 degrees.
Most locations recorded at least half an inch of rain, while portions of the Upstate and Charlotte Metropolitan Area recorded up to 1.50 inches. A few stations in the state's highest elevations measured weekly totals slightly over 1.50 inches. The multiple periods of rainfall have helped improve drought conditions that have lingered in the state since November. On the December 28 release of the US Drought Monitor (USDM) map, the areas experiencing severe drought (D2) conditions decreased and were now confined to portions of Abbeville and Anderson counties. Moderate drought (D1) conditions persisted in the Upstate, though some improvements were seen across Lauren, Union, and York counties. Abnormally dry conditions continued in the Pee Dee and areas near the Fall Line.
Rainfall over the current and previous periods continued to increase the 14-day average streamflow values across the state, with most of the gauges along streams and tributaries reporting values within normal ranges or above average values. Due to the beneficial rainfall, gauges within the Broad, Catawba, and Saluda River basins reported normal to above-normal flows. Some river heights reached the action and minor flood stages, while other gauges across the state reported levels below the flood stage.
