On Monday, January 13, with a weak surface high pressure over the region, an area of low pressure passed south of the state, bringing some light rain to portions of the Central Savannah River Area and Coastal Plain. Outside of isolated light showers across parts of the state on Monday, dry conditions prevailed through the work week's end. Despite the clear, sunny skies due to high pressure in the region, maximum and minimum temperatures were between five and ten degrees below normal through the middle of the week, with lows around freezing and highs in the mid-50s. Another cold front moved through the region on Wednesday, but rainfall totals were minimal, given the lack of moisture.
Behind the front, the winds shifted from west to north, producing breezy conditions. Dewpoints fell into the single digits in some Upstate locations. Dry and seasonable weather was recorded on Thursday. On Friday, as high pressure shifted offshore, moisture levels began to rise in the region ahead of a low-pressure system expected to arrive over the weekend. Following a morning of rainfall, a second wave of showers swept through the state on Saturday as the intricate low-pressure system pushed through the area. In its wake, a strong cold front swept through the Southeast on Sunday, leading to gusty winds late in the afternoon. As Arctic air moved in behind the front, temperatures dropped from the 50s to near freezing by the end of the day.
(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 | 0.14 | 1.21 | -1.3 |
| Greer Airport | 0.11 | 1.24 | -1.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.15 | 0.93 | -1.3 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.51 | 1.13 | -1.0 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 1.06 | 1.92 | -0.5 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.02 | 2.66 | 0.3 |
| Florence Airport | 0.75 | 1.26 | -0.6 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.68 | 0.88 | -0.8 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.35 | 0.80 | -1.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.24 | 0.50 | -1.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: Not Available. Columbia: 46 degrees. Barnwell: 39 degrees. Mullins: 26 degrees.
After lingering showers moved through the region early Monday morning, dry conditions were reported across the state throughout the work week. Widespread rain fell over the weekend due to the passage of a low-pressure system and associated front, and portions of the Coastal Plain recorded between 0.50 inches and 1.50 inches. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, January 23, showed that moderate drought (D1) conditions were expanded across interior portions of the Pee Dee and northern Midlands regions due to the lack of beneficial rains and declining streamflow values. Elsewhere across the state, drought conditions remained unchanged.
Even with precipitation during the period, the 14-day average streamflow values across portions of the Upstate and northern Midlands dropped to below normal values, while gauges in parts of the Central Savannah River Area and Pee Dee basins remained below normal. The gauge on the Waccamaw River near Longs recorded values well below normal, with the gauge on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry dropping to well-below normal. Many gauges in the state's southern half continued to report values within the normal ranges. The river height levels along the river and the tidal gauges remained below the flood stage during the period.
