On Monday, February 3, dense morning fog reduced visibilities to less than a quarter of a mile in portions of the Lowcountry, Midlands, and Pee Dee. The fog was slow to burn off at some locations, but with high pressure centered over the area, sunny skies prevailed by mid-afternoon, and temperatures rose into the upper 60s to low 70s. The sunny and warm conditions continued on Tuesday, and the Anderson Regional Airport reported a maximum temperature of 80 degrees, breaking the daily high-temperature record of 77 degrees set in 1957.
Temperatures were slightly cooler on Wednesday, with highs in the mid-60s, but still above normal for the beginning of February. Light rain was measured as a weak cold front pushed south across the state, with totals less than a quarter of an inch by Thursday morning. The frontal boundary drifted north over the state Thursday afternoon, leading to additional light rain before clouds cleared and temperatures warmed. Rainfall was limited to parts of the Midlands and Upstate, with rainfall totals less than a quarter of an inch.
The well-above-normal temperatures continued through the rest of the weekend as arctic air remained north of the region, including record-high temperatures on Saturday and Sunday. High temperatures were up to twenty degrees above normal at some locations on Saturday and Sunday, feeling more like the middle of May than the last month of winter. The NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport broke the daily maximum temperature record of 76 degrees, set in 1994, on Sunday with a high of 80 degrees and the station at the Charleston International Airport reported a high of 84 degrees, breaking the daily maximum record of 80 degrees set in 1949.
(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 | 0.03 | 1.86 | -3.4 |
| Greer Airport | 0.11 | 2.08 | -3.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.13 | 1.72 | -2.7 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.05 | 1.83 | -2.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.40 | 3.02 | -2.1 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.04 | 3.62 | -1.3 |
| Florence Airport | 0.02 | 1.71 | -2.3 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.01 | 1.34 | -2.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.00 | 2.09 | -2.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.00 | 1.99 | -2.1 |
| *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: 60 degrees. Barnwell: 54 degrees. Mullins: 61 degrees.
Limited precipitation fell across the state during the period, with most of the region recording less than a tenth of an inch of rain. A few isolated portions of Berkeley and Williamsburg counties reported more than a quarter of an inch. With the continued dry conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, February 6, showed the expansion of moderate drought (D1) conditions across portions of the Fall Line and Upstate. Abnormally dry (D0) conditions were introduced into Pickens and Oconee counties and parts of the central Midlands.
With the lack of rain statewide, many of the 14-day average streamflow values at gauges across much of the state recorded below-normal values, with some gauges on rivers in the Pee Dee and Upstate reporting values much below normal, including the gauge on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry, the Lynches River at Effingham, the Saluda River near Greenville, and the Catawba River near Rock Hill. Most gauges in the ACE, Lower Santee, and Lower Savannah River basins reported values within the normal ranges, though some rivers started to show a decline in streamflow values. The river height levels along the rivers and the tidal gauges remained below the flood stage during the period.
