On Monday, January 17, the surface low that produced the winter weather event on Sunday pushed toward the Mid-Atlantic, creating windy conditions across the state. Stations reported sustained winds of up to 25 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph, prompting the National Weather Service to issue lake wind advisories. It was a relatively cold afternoon, with temperatures up to fifteen degrees below normal, only reaching the mid- to upper-40s in areas outside of the coast. There were only a few days of calm weather during the period, as a weak high pressure moved into the region on Tuesday. Under mostly clear skies, overnight temperatures dropped into the low to mid-20s across much of the state. The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport recorded a low of 27 degrees. Daytime temperatures were slightly below normal, with highs ranging from the low to mid-50s.
By midweek, moisture moved back into the region as a cold front approached the area, and the high pressure shifted offshore. Wednesday was a pleasant January day, with mostly clear skies and temperatures warming to near-normal conditions, with temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s reported across the state. Showers moved into the region on Wednesday night into early Thursday, producing light rain and ushering colder air into the Southeast.
The biggest weather story of the period was another winter storm that impacted the state on Friday, January 21, and into the early morning hours of Saturday, January 22. In less than a week, it was the second winter storm to produce snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain. The NWS Offices in Columbia and Wilmington, NC, issued Winter Storm Warnings for portions of the Midlands and Pee Dee, and an Ice Storm Warning was issued for parts near and between the Interstate 20 and 95 corridors. High temperatures on Friday were recorded before sunrise, and behind the front, temperatures steadily fell throughout the day. As moisture started to move into the state, freezing rain was reported in the state's eastern half. Unlike the previous event, ice accretion totals did not exceed a quarter of an inch, and power outages were minimal. However, the glaze did cause issues on roadways. The freezing rain transitioned to snow shortly after sunset, and a band of heavy snow set up across the Midlands and slowly moved off to the northeast. Up to five inches of snow were reported in parts of the Pee Dee. The two (2.0) inches of snow measured at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport ended the streak of 1,839 days without measurable snow.
An Open-File Report on this event will be published and linked here in the upcoming weeks.
With snow on the ground Saturday and Sunday mornings, low temperatures dropped into the teens at many locations, with a few stations reporting minimum temperatures less than 15 degrees in the Pee Dee on Sunday. Black ice was reported on roads across the Lowcountry and Pee Dee, and some bridges and overpasses in Charleston had to be closed due to dangerous driving conditions. The snow was short-lived in the Midlands, mostly melting away by Saturday evening thanks to sunny skies and temperatures reaching the upper 40s. Any remaining snow melted on Sunday when temperatures warmed into the 50s.
(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 | 0.22 | 2.92 | -0.3 |
| Greer Airport | 0.28 | 4.53 | 1.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.33 | 4.10 | 1.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.50 | 3.98 | 1.4 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.67s | 5.89s | 3.1s |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.40 | 3.61 | 0.8 |
| Florence Airport | 0.47 | 3.92 | 1.6 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.39 | 4.26 | 2.2 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.44 | 2.03 | -0.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.44 | 2.87 | 0.5 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 37 degrees. Columbia: 47 degrees. Barnwell: 38 degrees. Mullins: 30 degrees.
Despite the rain and snow during the latter part of the period, it was predominantly dry. Most of the state received at least an inch of rain; however, portions of the northern Midlands and interior parts of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions received closer to an inch. The main rain event during the period was from the passage of a cold front on Thursday. The combination of the rain and snow provided more beneficial moisture for the drought-stricken Pee Dee. Snowfall totals from CoCoRaHS observers ranged from trace amounts in the Upstate and Charleston Metro Area to up to five inches in Darlington and Marlboro counties. With multiple weeks of rainfall across the state, the United States Drought Monitor removed the severe drought (D2) status from the state. It continued to show improvements in areas with moderate drought (D1) and dry conditions.
Even with the rain across North Carolina and South Carolina, the Pee Dee region experienced decreased streamflow values. Still, they are nowhere near the low values reported at the end of November and December. Streamflow remained near-normal on most of the streams and tributaries of the Santee and Savannah rivers. The Edisto River at Givhans Ferry continued to report above-normal flows and recorded heights just below the minor flood stage during the latter half of the period. All other rivers reported heights below the flood stage.
