WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2017

January 2, 2017 - January 8, 2017

WEATHER SUMMARY:

Heavy rains on Monday and Tuesday fell through unseasonably warm maritime air leaving two-day rainfall amounts of 4.85 inches in Aiken, 4.55 inches in Johnston, 3.31 inches in Saluda and 2.74 inches in Sumter. Jamestown reached 80 degrees on Monday afternoon and the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station reported a Tuesday high temperature of 76 degrees. Winds shifted more northwesterly on Wednesday with more January-like conditions. On Thursday morning, the Hartsville AP noted a minimum temperature of 30 degrees. Hilton Head Island held on to any late-exiting mild air with an afternoon high temperature of 68 degrees. On Friday, freezing air eased into the South Carolina Mountains. Caesars Head reported a morning low temperature of 27 degrees. Just after dark, an area of low pressure developed over the northern Gulf and began spreading snow into the Upstate. By 9:00 p.m., Mountain Rest had received a one-inch blanket. Near-freezing conditions to the south meant a mostly cold and soaking rain. The Sandhill Experiment Station received 1.85 inches of rain and 1.39 inches fell in Hartsville. Travelers Rest measured a snow depth of 6.2 inches. An NWS employee in Landrum reported an even 6 inches. Chesnee reported 5.0 inches and the Greenville-Spartanburg AP reported 3.1 inches. Measurable snows extended to the Columbia Metro AP with a tenth of an inch that followed rains of just over an inch. Snowflakes were observed as far east and south as Charleston, Berkeley, Orangeburg, Calhoun, Clarendon, Sumter and Lee counties. Freezing air on Saturday limited the high temperature at Cedar Creek and Mullins to just 31 degrees. North winds gusted to 37 mph at Myrtle Beach AP and to 40 mph at the Charleston AP. Temperatures on Sunday morning plummeted to 8 degrees over a snow-covered Chesnee. It was 12 degrees in Sandy Springs. Greenwood and McCormick noted 16 degrees. Kingstree and Myrtle Beach City recorded 18 degrees and the temperature at Hilton Head Island dropped to a season low of 28 degrees. Despite all-day sun, the high temperature at Greer, Chester, Hartsville and Conway never made it above freezing. The Darlington AP 11:56 p.m. observation on Sunday was clear skies and 18 degrees.

The highest official temperature reported was 81 degrees at the Charleston AP (date record), Walterboro AP and the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station on January 2. The lowest official temperature reported was 7 degrees at Sassafras Mountain on January 8. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 3.32 inches at the USGS Horse Creek gage near Clearwater on January 2. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 2.4 inches. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was four degrees above the long-term average.

PRECIPITATION:

Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL:

4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton 46 degrees. Columbia 48 degrees. Barnwell 42 degrees. Mullins 27 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF:

South Carolina river stages were near normal. Charleston Harbor Custom House reported a water temperature of 55 degrees. Sunset Beach, NC, Nearshore Buoy (NDBC 41024) reported a water temperature of 52 degrees.