The week started with the continued effects of a cold air damming event on Monday, February 11, with light rain and dense fog reported across most of the state. Low temperatures were mainly in the upper 30's to low 40's in the Upstate and Midlands, though the National Weather Service (NWS) stations in Beaufort and the Charleston International Airport reported morning temperatures of 50 degrees. A stalled frontal boundary near the coast helped increase the moisture across much of the state, and locations under cloudy skies barely reached high temperatures in the mid-50's, while locations near the immediate coast climbed to the mid-60's.
On the morning of Tuesday, February 12, dense fog advisories were issued across much of the state due to visibilities of less than a quarter mile. A low-pressure system approached the area, and as the warm front lifted across the state, it eroded the cloud cover across much of the Midlands. The temperature at the NWS station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport rose from 58 degrees at 10 a.m. to 72 degrees by noon and continued to climb to a high of 81 degrees, a new record maximum temperature for the day. The maximum temperatures reached the mid-50's in the Upstate, and upper 70's to low 80's across the Lowcountry, Midlands and Pee Dee. The daytime heating aided in creating instability and the potential for severe weather across the Midlands. As the front pushed through the region, embedded thunderstorms produced wind gusts up to 55 mph, and downed trees were reported in Aiken, Lancaster, Lexington and Richland counties. Pea-sized hail (0.25 inches) was reported near Irmo in Lexington County. The NWS Columbia Office conducted two storm surveys and confirmed that a downburst with peak winds between 85-90 mph occurred in Lexington County, and a weak EF-1 tornado touched down in Orangeburg County. The downburst snapped and uprooted numerous hardwood and softwood trees and caused minor damage to some structures near Batesburg. The tornado touched down near Bowman and traveled 6.6 miles, damaging dozens of trees, that were either uprooted, twisted or snapped along the path. In addition to the tree damage, reports of minor damage to well-built structures, with more significant damage to an old barn and small sheds and outbuildings, were also made along the path.
The cold front continued to push through the state overnight, and by Wednesday morning, low temperatures near freezing were recorded in the Upstate with mid-40's reported closer to the coast. High pressure built in over the region, ushering in a brief dry period during the middle of the week. Despite mostly clear skies, temperatures returned to normal for this time of year, with high temperatures in the upper 50's to low 60's across the state. Radiational cooling and calm winds provided a cold start to Thursday, February 14, with the low temperature at many locations dropping into the mid to upper 20's. Valentine's Day was a repeat of the previous day, with dry conditions, sunny skies and maximum temperatures near 60 degrees. The high-pressure system that had been in control of the weather shifted to the east by Thursday evening, and southerly flow returned to the state.
Rain chances increased on Friday, February 15, as a weak cold front and upper disturbance started to track across the mountainous parts of the Upstate. Mid and upper-level clouds slowly dissipated throughout the day across much of the state, and high temperatures were five to ten degrees above normal. By Friday night, conditions deteriorated, and Saturday started wet across much of the northern tier of the state, as a surface low produced light shower activity as it tracked across the area. As the skies cleared, temperatures rose into the upper 60's to low 70's, before a backdoor cold front pushed into the Midlands from the north by midday. Temperatures dropped quickly behind the front, and the NWS station at the Florence Regional Airport observed a seven-degree temperature drop in 60 minutes. The backdoor cold front pushed through parts of the Lowcountry and temperatures dropped into the 40's after sunset. West-southwest flow set up along the coast and the Charleston Harbor tidal gauge observed an astronomical high tide value of 7.02 ft. mean lower low water (MLLW) on Sunday morning, which caused shallow coastal saltwater flooding in low-lying areas. The frontal boundary lifted back over the state during the day, allowing temperatures along the Lowcountry coast to reach the 60's, while much of the state was trapped under another cold air damming scenario, which kept maximum temperatures in the mid to upper 40's. The unsettled pattern set-up would continue to bring a series of frontal systems into the region through the start of the next week.
(Note: The highest and lowest official temperatures and highest precipitation totals provided below are based on observations from the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer network and the National Weather Service's Forecast Offices.)| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 1.53 | 6.76 | 0.6 |
| Greer Airport | 2.53 | 8.06 | 1.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.69 | 6.38 | 1.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.43 | 3.47 | -2.3 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.47 | 4.15 | -1.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.67 | 5.08 | -1.1 |
| Florence Airport | 0.82 | 3.75 | -1.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.56 | 2.63 | -3.1 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.23 | 1.94 | -3.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.16 | 3.02 | -2.3 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 45 degrees. Columbia: 55 degrees. Barnwell: 50 degrees. Mullins: 44 degrees.
Rainfall totals across the Palmetto State for the previous seven days ranged from less than half an inch in portions of the Lowcountry to nearly three inches in parts of the Upstate. Due to the continued lack of rainfall in coastal areas of the state, portions of Charleston, Georgetown and Horry counties are between four and six inches below normal since the beginning of the year. Inland portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee are nearly four inches below normal, and the remainder of the state is reporting near normal to slightly above normal rainfall. Streamflow values for most of the rivers, creeks and streams across the Palmetto State returned to normal flows for this time of year. River levels were trending down through the week, but another round of rainfall forecasted at the beginning of the new work week could lead to some rivers rising back to minor flood stage.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 55.9 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 54.9 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 56.5 degrees.
