The period was marked by two rounds of precipitation and temperature whiplash. On Monday, January 27, morning temperatures dropped into the teens and lower 20s across portions of the state, with highs only climbing into the upper 40s. A cold front moved through the region on Monday evening, producing light rain. Rainfall totals on Tuesday were less than a quarter of an inch. High pressure moved into the area behind the front, bringing fair weather and near-average temperatures.
High pressure remained in control of the weather on Wednesday, providing dry conditions and high temperatures in the upper 60s to the low 70s. A dry cold front moved through the area on Wednesday night, producing breezy conditions. Temperatures were slightly cooler on Thursday, with highs in the 60s. Maximum temperatures on Friday, January 31, were up to fifteen degrees warmer than normal, with highs reaching the mid to upper 70s, with a few isolated spots reaching 80 degrees, before the second round of rain arrived late on Friday evening in association with a passing cold front. Wind gusts of up to 30 mph were reported at some locations in the Midlands.
By Saturday morning, rainfall totals across portions of the Midlands and Upstate ranged from a quarter of an inch to half an inch. Locations in the Pee Dee and the Lowcountry received lesser amounts. High pressure built back into the region behind the front, and drier conditions and above-normal temperatures prevailed for the remainder of the weekend. On Saturday, February 1, the tidal gauge at the Charleston Harbor recorded a minimum tide level of -1.70 ft MLLW, which caused issues to vessels navigating along the lower South Carolina coast. Also, on Sunday, February 3, the infamous Puxatuney Phil saw his shadow, declaring six more weeks of winter.
(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 | 0.60 | 1.83 | -2.5 |
| Greer Airport | 0.72 | 1.97 | -2.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.64 | 1.59 | -2.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.58 | 1.78 | -1.9 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.50 | 2.62 | -1.6 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.75 | 3.58 | -0.5 |
| Florence Airport | 0.40 | 1.69 | -1.6 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.22 | 1.33 | -1.9 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.14 | 2.09 | -1.5 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.16 | 1.99 | -1.5 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: Not Available. Columbia: 53 degrees. Barnwell: 42 degrees. Mullins: 49 degrees.
Precipitation fell across the state in two rounds; one limited round of rainfall was associated with a cold front passage on Monday into Tuesday morning and another on Friday night into Saturday. The first round of precipitation produced up to a quarter of an inch across portions of the Coastal Plain. The cold front that pushed through on Friday evening provided more widespread and soaking rain, with some locations south of the Fall Line and in the Midlands recording over half an inch of rain. Rainfall totals over the period ranged from less than a quarter of an inch in the southern Lowcountry to close to three-quarters of an inch in parts of the Upstate. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, January 30, showed moderate drought (D1) conditions extending across portions of the Pee Dee and Charlotte Metro regions due to the lack of beneficial rains and declining streamflow values. Abnormally dry (D0) conditions remained in place across the central Coastal Plain, Midlands, and Upstate.
Even with rain reported in portions of the state, many of the 14-day average streamflow values from gauges in the Upstate continued to record below-normal levels, with some gauges on small tributaries reporting values much below normal. Values within the Pee Dee basin remained below normal, with the gauge on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry reporting below normal values. Most gauges in the ACE, Lower Santee, and Lower Savannah river basins continued to report values within the normal ranges. The river height levels along the rivers and the tidal gauges remained below the flood stage during the period.
