The low-pressure system that washed out the last weekend in January continued to provide cool, cloudy weather for the first part of February as it dumped snow over portions of the Mid-Atlantic and New England. With plenty of cloud cover in place, some scattered showers developed on Monday and Tuesday. Overnight temperatures were in the mid- to upper 30s, with daytime highs in the 40s. The exceptions to these cool temperatures were the coastal stations, which reached the mid- to upper 50s.
On Wednesday, February 3, high pressure settled back into the region, providing a bit of dry air across the area. Winds behind the system were not strong, but when combined with lows in the mid-to-upper 20s, wind chill values in the teens were reported in portions of the Upstate and the lower 20s in parts of the Midlands. Highs temperatures rebounded into the low to mid-50s, and with clear skies and light winds temperatures dropped into the teens and low 20s at some locations on Thursday morning. The National Weather Service (NWS) stations at the Greenwood County Airport and the Rock Hill York County Airport recorded minimum temperatures of 19 degrees. Temperatures rebounded into the low to mid-50s by midday as increasing cloudiness signaled a return to an unsettled weather pattern.
A weak cold front approached and moved through the region on Friday, ahead of a low pressure that would affect the state throughout the weekend. The front helped trigger showers through midday before some dry air filtered into the region. Despite the duration of the rain, totals were typically less than a quarter of an inch. As the low tracked across eastern Georgia and South Carolina, moisture streamed back into the region and increased the shower activity. Rainfall quickly transitioned into a wintry mix and finally snow in the Upstate Saturday night through early Sunday morning. Conditions helped support frozen precipitation mixing in with the rain, and storm spotters reported sleet in Berkeley, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Florence, Lancaster, Sumter, and York counties.
By Sunday morning, the NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International reported a storm total snowfall amount of 1.8 inches. While most of the Upstate reports ranged from one to two inches, the NWS station at Caesars Head measured 6.0 inches, and a CoCoRaHS observer near Sans Souci reported 5.3 inches. The morning low temperatures started in the low to mid-30s but eventually rose into the low to mid-50s, melting much of the snow from the previous evening.
(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 | 0.53 | 4.38 | -0.4 |
| Greer Airport | 0.85 | 5.30 | 0.6 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.78 | 4.81 | 0.6 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.63 | 5.95 | 1.5 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.47 | 5.16 | 0.4 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.57 | 5.44 | 0.6 |
| Florence Airport | 0.75 | 5.89 | 1.9 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.05 | 6.00 | 1.6 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.45 | 4.89 | 0.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.59 | 2.67 | -1.8 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 40 degrees. Columbia: 50 degrees. Barnwell: 42 degrees. Mullins: 37 degrees.
Rain fell disproportionately across the state during the period, with some locations in the Central Savannah River Area recording less than a quarter of an inch. More than an inch and a half was measured in Georgetown and Horry counties, near Columbia, and isolated areas of the Lowcountry. CoCoRaHS observers near Murrells Inlet and Pawley’s Island reported seven-day rainfall totals between three and four inches. The period was also the first time during the winter where measurable snowfall was reported in the state. Totals ranged from trace amounts just south of the Interstate 85 corridor to upward of six inches in more mountainous locations in the Upstate.
Despite the recent rainfall, most streamflow values across the state continued to report normal flows. However, some flows along rivers in the northern Pee Dee region recorded slightly higher flows with the latest round of precipitation. While streamflow values were near normal, a few river height gauges within the Pee Dee basin recorded heights in either action or minor flood stage. Additionally, lower portions of the Edisto, Santee, and Savannah rivers observed an increase in river height levels and are forecasted to remain high through the beginning of the new period.
