SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

January 28 - Feb. 3, 2002

WEATHER SUMMARY

As January 2002 ended, it felt more like early Spring with record warm afternoons in the upper 70's to around 80 degrees Monday through Friday. On Thursday the average temperature of 71 degrees in Columbia tied as the warmest day in January in over fifty years. A few isolated rainshowers were observed during the day on Friday but amounts were light. Much cooler weather invaded the state on Saturday with temperatures falling off by at least twenty degrees. On Sunday, high cloudiness, cool north winds and occasional raindrops made for a indoor type of day. For the period the state average temperature was fifteen degrees above normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The highest temperature was 87 degrees at Allendale on February 1. The lowest temperature reported was 28 degrees at Union and Salem on the morning of February 3. The greatest 24-hour rainfall reported was 0.18" at Pickens ending at 7:00 a.m. on February 1. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.0".

                     Precipitation
               Period    2002    Deviation*        Temperature
Location        Total   Total     From Avg.     Maximum   Minimum	
Greer            0.02    4.86         0.0A         78       34                         	              		
Columbia         0.00    2.47         2.6B         80       32
Florence         0.00    1.65         2.8B         84       35	        
Charleston       0.00    2.42         2.0B         82       38
N Myrtle Beach   0.02    0.78         3.2B         75       36
Augusta, Ga.     0.01    2.65         2.3B         82       31
*A=Above, B=Below         

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the period ending midnight Monday through midnight Sunday

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 54 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were below to near normal.
Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 51 degrees.