High pressure over the region, with very dry air, dominated the weather pattern through midweek. The dry air and clear skies provided good radiational cooling conditions overnight on Monday and Tuesday. Lows temperatures were in the 20s and 30s, up to ten degrees below normal, while daytime temperatures were more seasonable, with highs in the mid-50s to low 60s.
On Wednesday, February 16, as high pressure started to move offshore, moisture increased across the Southeast ahead of an approaching front. Wednesday also marked the beginning of a warming trend that would continue through the rest of the work week. Morning temperatures rose from the 50s into the 70s by mid-afternoon on Thursday, ahead of a cold front that pushed into the area overnight. With breezy conditions across the region, lake wind advisories were put in place across portions of the state, with wind gusts of 35 mph. A line of showers and isolated storms moved through the Upstate, producing strong winds, including a 64 mph gust reported by the National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Clemson Oconee County Airport. Spotty reports of wind damage were mentioned in Anderson, Pickens, and York counties.
The cold front had pushed through most of the state by early Friday morning, and locations behind the front reported lows in the upper 30s and highs in the mid-60s. Lingering showers developed near the coast, and areas ahead of the front had lows in the upper 50s and highs closer to 80 degrees. High pressure built into the region, providing a cool and dry weekend, with overnight lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s.
(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 | 0.85 | 5.06 | -1.8 |
| Greer Airport | 0.42 | 6.58 | -0.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.53 | 5.82 | 0.2 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.46 | 5.69 | -0.2 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.14s | 6.94s | 0.4s |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.36 | 4.98 | -1.4 |
| Florence Airport | 0.27 | 5.91 | 0.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.21 | 5.13 | -0.2 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.31 | 3.04 | -2.5 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.24 | 3.67 | -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: 47 degrees. Columbia: 55 degrees. Barnwell: 48 degrees. Mullins: 52 degrees.
Most of the rain reported during the period occurred late Thursday, with lingering showers on Friday morning. Many locations north and west of the Interstate 20 corridor recorded over half an inch of rain. Some CoCoRaHS observers in the mountains reported over an inch. Rain was sparse across the Lowcountry and Pee Dee, with some areas recording less than a tenth of an inch. The United States Drought Monitor showed worsening conditions in some areas with moderate drought (D1) and dry conditions.
Due to the relatively dry periods, streamflow values across the state decreased since the beginning of the month. While most of the streamflow gauges north of the Fall Line reported streamflow values at normal for this time of year, gauges elsewhere are reporting values below normal. The streamflow values across the lower Santee and Pee Dee watersheds continued to measure below to much below average streamflows. Statewide, all rivers observed heights below the flood stage.
