Cloudy and cooler conditions persisted through mid-week, and low temperatures on Monday, February 10, were in the 40s, while afternoon highs climbed into the mid-60s to low 70s at the coast. As low pressure moved away from the coast, a colder airmass settled into the region, and by Tuesday a stationary front formed along the Gulf Coast. With high pressure in the Mid-Atlantic, colder air funneled into the state, with highs up to twenty degrees below normal on Tuesday and Wednesday. Morning lows were in the mid-30s, with highs reaching the mid-40s across much of the state to upper 50s closer to the coast.
The front started to lift north late on Tuesday, and cold air damming was still in place across portions of the state on Wednesday. Light rain and mist were reported across the Upstate, and a tenth of an inch of freezing rain accumulation was recorded at Caesars Head. Rain increased in intensity throughout the day, with some locations in Pickens and Oconee counties reporting almost four inches of rain by Thursday morning. The rain continued across the Midlands and Coastal Plain on Thursday as the front pushed southeast of the area. Despite the cold air damming setup, temperatures were slightly above normal, with highs in the mid- to upper 60s. Skies cleared as a secondary boundary pushed into the region with drier and cooler air overnight and into Friday.
Dry and seasonable conditions were observed under sunny skies on Friday. Clouds and moisture increased across the region on Saturday, ahead of a strong cold front that raced through the state early Sunday, triggering thunderstorms and strong gusty winds. Damage from thunderstorm winds was reported in Newberry, York, Edgefield, Lexington, Fairfield, Richland, Aiken, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Lee, Sumter, Darlington, Florence, and Colleton counties, and wind gusts up to 58 mph were reported in parts of the Midlands. Conditions remained breezy throughout the rest of the day as skies cleared up behind the front.
(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 | 4.06 | 5.92 | -0.3 |
| Greer Airport | 4.43 | 6.51 | 0.3 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 2.94 | 4.66 | -0.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.69 | 3.52 | -2.0 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.60M | 3.62M | -2.5M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.01 | 5.63 | -0.2 |
| Florence Airport | 1.33 | 3.04 | -1.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.54 | 1.87 | -3.0 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.51 | 2.60 | -2.5 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.20 | 3.19 | -1.6 |
| *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: 53 degrees. Barnwell: 48 degrees. Mullins: 46 degrees.
Multiple rounds of precipitation occurred during the period, mainly from late Tuesday through Sunday, providing much-needed rain across the state. Seven-day rainfall totals ranged from a quarter of an inch in Charleston County to over six inches in portions of the Upstate, with some totals in Pickens and Oconee counties approaching seven inches. However, with previous periods of dry conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, February 13, showed another expansion of moderate drought (D1) conditions across portions of the Fall Line and Upstate, while abnormally dry (D0) conditions were introduced in the Lower Savannah River basin. Any changes in the USDM drought designations from rainfall during the latter half of the period will be reflected in the map released on Thursday, February 20, because it fell after Tuesday morning's data cutoff.
The heavy rain in the Upstate caused an increase in the 14-day average streamflow values at gauges in the Upper Savannah, Santee, Broad, and Catawba river basins. Gauges in these basins reported flows above normal for the first time since the end of December. Some gauges in the Midlands recorded flows within normal range due to the two to three inches of rain that fell during the period. However, gauges in portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions continued to report values below normal, and some gauges on rivers in the Pee Dee recorded values much below normal, including the gauge on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry, Black Creek at Kingstree, and the Waccamaw River near Longs. The river height levels along the rivers where the heaviest rain fell rose but did not reach action or minor flood stage. Some gauges in the Midlands rose into minor flood stage as the water moved down the basins. The tidal gauges remained below the flood stage during the period.
