Rain fell across much of the Upstate to start the week on Monday, February 10. The increased cloudiness kept temperatures in the mid to upper 50s, while from the Midlands to the coast, daytime temperatures reached the 70s. By Tuesday morning, many CoCoRaHS observers north of Interstate 85 reported more than 1.75 inches of rain, especially in Oconee and Pickens counties. As the frontal boundary stalled through the region, additional scattered showers developed across the state on Tuesday afternoon. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Charleston International Airport measured a high temperature of 80 degrees, which broke the previous record of 79 degrees set in 1939.
The stalled frontal boundary lifted into southern portions of the state on Wednesday, allowing for isolated showers to develop across the region. Low temperatures were nearly 25 degrees above normal for the middle of February with reported values in the mid-50s to low 60s across the state. High temperatures were also above normal, with highs in the mid-70s observed by many stations in the Midlands. A strong cold front push through the area on Thursday, accompanied by a line of strong to severe thunderstorms. Spotters reported storm damage in Oconee and Pickens counties in the early morning, and by the late afternoon, the line of storms was racing across the middle of the state. A wind gust of 53 mph was recorded at Shaw Air Force Base, and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport measured a wind gust of 62 mph. Ahead of the front, warm air surged into the region, and the NWS station at the Florence Regional Airport recorded a high 83 degrees, smashing the previous record of 76 degrees set back in 1949.
By the morning of Friday, February 14, the front has pushed through the high pressure took control of the weather pattern. Cooler and drier weather began to filter into the region for the weekend. Friday morning temperatures rose from the 40s into the low 60s under clear and sunny skies. Both high and low temperatures on Saturday were five to ten degrees cooler than normal, with the NWS in North Myrtle Beach reached only a high of 52 degrees. The rain held off until Sunday as moisture returned across the region. Most locations reported less a half an inch, and under widespread cloudy skies, temperatures remained cool heading into the beginning of the new work week.
(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 | 2.11 | 12.66 | 6.7 |
| Greer Airport | 2.17 | 14.93 | 8.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.05 | 9.12 | 3.9 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.65 | 9.01 | 3.4 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.14 | 6.53 | 0.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.21 | 8.12 | 2.1 |
| Florence Airport | 0.40 | 7.94 | 3.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.27 | 4.49 | -1.1 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.29 | 2.98 | -2.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.59 | 4.38 | -1.0 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 45 degrees. Columbia: 54 degrees. Barnwell: 48 degrees. Mullins: 47 degrees.
With only a few weeks left in winter, the rainy pattern that started at the beginning of the season continued across South Carolina. The National Weather Service Office in Columbia has reported 18.88 inches of rainfall since December 1, making this the wettest winter on record for the Columbia area since 1887. As of this report, it was the 4th wettest winter for the Greer area and the 6th wettest winter for Florence. The heaviest rains fell north of the Interstate 85 corridor, with some localized reports of size inches in the mountainous areas of the Upstate. Most locations in the Midlands reported up to an inch of rain, while less than half an inch was recorded near the coast. 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. A few of the river gauges across the state reached major flood stage while some of the gauges south of the Fall Line had yet to crest and were in moderate flood stage. Additional rainfall was forecast, which would keep area rivers high heading into the new work week.
