The period started with seasonable cool and dry condtions which dominated the weather pattern through the middle of the week. On Monday, January 18, a low-level jet produced sustained winds between 15 and 20 mph across the state, with gusts up to 30 mph at times. With a surface high pressure north of the area, the clear skies contributed to overnight lows in the upper 20s to low 30s, with highs in the mid- to upper-50s on both Monday and Tuesday. As high pressure pushed off the Southeast coast, ahead of a cold front on Wednesday, both maximum and minimum temperatures were ten degrees above normal, with lows in the 40s and highs in the mid-to-upper 60s. Two National Weather Service (NWS) stations in Beaufort and Charleston counties recorded daytime highs of 69 degrees.
By Thursday, January 21, some scattered, light rain showers lingered during the morning as a cold front from the northwest moved into the area. Morning low temperatures were close to ten degrees above normal, with lows in the 40s, thanks to the the increased moisture and widespread cloudiness. High temperatures ranged from the mid-50s to the lower-60s at the coast. By Friday,the front stalled along portions of the Central Savannah River Area and the Lowcountry, and rainfall totals amounted to less than an inch.
Early Saturday morning, the NWS Charleston International Airport reported dense fog and visibilities less than a quarter of a mile. The above-normal temperatures gave way on Saturday to drier and cooler conditions as the front moved further south and high pressure built into the Southeast. With fair weather returning to the region, the temperatures over the weekend ranged from morning lows in the upper 20s to mid-30s, and highs in the mid-to-upper 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 | 0.01 | 2.46 | -0.5 |
| Greer Airport | 0.01 | 2.14 | -0.8 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 1.67 | -1.0 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.01 | 4.29 | 1.5 |
| Orangeburg Airport | Trace | 2.80 | -0.2 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.11 | 3.11 | 0.1 |
| Florence Airport | Trace | 4.19 | 1.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | Trace | 2.42 | -0.3 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.13 | 1.88 | -1.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.48 | 1.42 | -1.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 47 degrees. Columbia: 52 degrees. Barnwell: 45 degrees. Mullins: 43 degrees.
For the second week in a row, rainfall across the state was limited. Most of the state received no rainfall during the period, with less than an inch falling across the Lowcountry and Lower Savannah River Basin. Only isolated locations in Beaufort and Jasper counties recorded more than half an inch of rain which did little to alleviate the abnormally dry conditions that persist in this portion of the state.
With dry conditions across much of the state, most of the streamflow gauges measured normal flow, with just a few gauges in the Pee Dee region recording streamflow values above normal. The lack of rain during the period allowed the river heights to drop and only a handful of gauges along the Pee Dee River reported near flood stage.
