After the Groundhog’s announcement of early spring, the start of the week was dry and unseasonably warm, with high pressure in control of the weather. Temperatures across the Palmetto State through midweek were well above normal for the beginning of February. Maximum temperatures on Monday, February 3, were in the mid-to-upper 70s, nearly 25 degrees above normal at some locations. The National Weather Service station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport recorded a 38-degree diurnal temperature swing, with a low of 39 degrees and a high of 77 degrees. The NWS station in Batesburg set a new daily record high temperature of 74 degrees, breaking the previous record of 73 degrees set back in 1914. Conditions on Tuesday remained warm and dry for much of the region, though southerly winds brought moisture back into the area during the late evening, leading to a gradual increase in rain chances ahead of an approaching system. Mild and unsettled weather was on tap for Wednesday, before much of the heaviest rain occurred in the Upstate during the overnight hours.
By the morning of Thursday, February 6, many CoCoRaHS observers near Sunset, Seneca and Travelers Rest recorded over four inches of rain. The Storm Prediction Center issued an enhanced risk of severe weather, and the Weather Prediction Center posted a moderate risk of excessive rainfall for the state. The strong and slow-moving cold front pushed through the state, triggering numerous warnings for flash flooding, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. The NWS confirmed two tornadoes touched down in the state: an EF1 in Spartanburg with maximum winds of 110 mph, and another EF1 near Trenton, with maximum winds of 105 mph, in Aiken County. With the additional rainfall on Thursday, the rainfall totals ending Friday, February 7, from the event ranged from an inch in many coastal communities to almost ten inches in localized portions of the Upstate. Behind the front, the story became the strong winds, with sustained speeds up to 30 mph and stronger gusts exceeding 50 mph, and wind advisories were issued for much of the state. The strong offshore winds caused blown-out tides in Charleston Harbor, and other coastal marshes, with levels recorded near -2.0 ft mean lower low water (MLLW). Cooler air rushed into the region and temperatures began to drop throughout the day quickly.
The surprise weather of the period occurred on Saturday, as temperatures across the state struggled to reach the mid-40s. A fast-moving upper-level disturbance moved across northern Georgia and into the Midlands, creating light to moderate snow over portions of the Upstate, still reeling from the heavy rain and severe thunderstorms on Thursday. Observers in Pickens and Oconee counties measured up to five inches of snow, and snow flurries were reported in Edgefield, Greenwood, Newberry, Rock Hill and Winnsboro before the system moved out of the area. Temperatures over the weekend felt cool compared to earlier in the week, but were closer to normal for February, with lows in the 30s and highs in the upper 40s to low 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 | 4.64 | 10.55 | 5.5 |
| Greer Airport | 5.73 | 12.76 | 7.8 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 3.40 | 8.07 | 3.7 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 2.52 | 8.36 | 3.7 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 2.25 | 5.39 | 0.5 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.35 | 6.91 | 1.8 |
| Florence Airport | 2.91 | 7.54 | 3.4 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 2.18 | 4.22 | -0.5 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 1.23 | 2.69 | -2.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 2.14 | 3.79 | -0.8 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 43 degrees. Columbia: 52 degrees. Barnwell: 45 degrees. Mullins: 40 degrees.
The wetter than normal pattern continued into the first full week of February, as heavy rains fell across much of the state, with the majority of the rainfall during the period falling in areas north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor. Most locations reported at least an inch of rain, though some locations in the Upstate had localized totals over six inches. The rainfall was the result of a warm front that moved across the state on Thursday evening and a cold front on Friday. With rain falling steadily over the headwaters of the state’s watersheds over the past few weeks, river and stream gauges continued to report above normal to high streamflow levels due to the continued wet pattern. Widespread minor to moderate flooding occurred at the end of the period, with some river gauges reaching major flood stage and cresting above record heights. Some of the gauges south of the Fall Line had yet to crest, and an additional three to five inches of rain was forecast during the next week.
