On Monday, February 13, the clouds continued to move out of the area as drier air pushed into the region as the weekend’s storm system moved off the coast. High pressure centered over the Southeast would dominate the weather pattern through Thursday. Morning temperatures in the mid-30s to low 40s rose to daytime temperatures near 70 degrees. Both maximum and minimum temperatures during the first half of the period were ten to fifteen degrees above average, with overnight lows in the upper 40s and low 50s and daytime highs in the upper 60s to mid-70s.
By Wednesday, the high pressure shifted off the Georgia and South Carolina coasts, providing southerly flow ahead of another approaching storm system. Despite the calm weather, moisture started to stream back into the region, and temperatures continued rising. Warm and breezy conditions were observed across much of the state on Thursday. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Florence Regional Airport recorded a maximum temperature of 80 degrees. The high of 81 degrees observed at the NWS Charleston International Airport station was the third warmest temperature on record for February 16.
A weak cold front moved through the state late Thursday and into Friday morning, providing rainfall mainly to the Upstate. The diffused cold front continued to push across the state on Friday, triggering a few isolated thunderstorms but no widespread severe weather. Temperatures dropped from those observed earlier in the week but were still five to ten degrees warmer than average temperatures for the middle of February.
Low astronomical tides were reported along portions of the South Carolina coast around midnight Saturday, as a minimum tide of -1.69 ft MLLW was observed at the Charleston Harbor tide gauge. There are usually navigation issues when the tide drops below -1.5 ft. MLLW. Fair conditions were on tap for the weekend, as high pressure built into the region behind the front. Temperatures on Saturday morning were the coldest of the period, with many stations dropping below freezing. Daytime temperatures rose into the mid-50s. The cool morning temperatures on Sunday gave way to more seasonable temperatures, with highs in the low to mid-60s, as dry conditions and some high clouds prevailed throughout the day.
(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 | 0.51 | 10.55 | 3.9 |
| Greer Airport | 0.70 | 10.83 | 4.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.29 | 8.70 | 3.2 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.05 | 8.92 | 3.2 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 9.18 | 9.18 | 2.6 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.24 | 9.47 | 3.1 |
| Florence Airport | 0.05 | 7.44 | 2.3 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.05 | 5.56 | 0.3 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.15 | 7.64 | 2.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.01 | 7.30 | 2.2 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 48 degrees. Columbia: 54 degrees. Barnwell: 47 degrees. Mullins: 53 degrees.
Compared to previous periods, this one was marked with drier conditions, with most of the state recording widespread rainfall totals of less than a quarter of an inch. The Upstate was the only area with precipitation totals over half an inch, with most locations north of the Interstate 85 corridor. A few stations in higher elevations measured between one and two inches of rain. According to the latest US Drought Monitor (USDM) map, released on Thursday, February 16, the rainfall from the previous periods led to the complete removal of abnormally dry (D0) conditions in the Pee Dee region. This is the first week since August 2021 that the USDM map did not depict any dry or drought conditions in the Palmetto State.
Despite the drier conditions during the period, the 14-day averages for stream flow values across much of the state remained normal to slightly above normal conditions. The river heights remained below flood stage in the Midlands and Upstate. However, the consistent precipitation since the beginning of the year contributed to the steady increase in river heights at gauges in the Coastal Plain. Most river heights were expected to maintain current levels as water moved through the river basins.
