SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

February 16 - 22, 2004

WEATHER SUMMARY

More cold weather was observed on Monday and Tuesday. An upper air feature mixed with the freezing air early Tuesday produced a mixture of light sleet and snow over the Upstate and northern Piedmont. A brief period of freezing rain fell across the Midlands and snow flurries were observed all the way into Charleston. Cold, grey days followed into Thursday. A sharp change occurred Friday with gusting southwesterly winds helping warm the state into the 60's and on Saturday the 70's. Increasing clouds on Sunday lowered high temperatures back to seasonal 60 degree readings. The average statewide temperature for the period was two degrees below normal.

The state's highest reported temperature was 76 degrees at Edisto Beach on February 21. The lowest temperature reported was 21 degrees at Caesars Head on morning of February 17 and at Chester, Cheraw, and Johnston on the morning of February 19. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 0.63" at Conway ending at 7:00 a.m. on February 17. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.1.”

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

                             Precipitation                 
                       Weekly   Jan 1  Deviation     
                        Total   Total   From Avg
         Greer           0.00    5.13       -2.5          
      Columbia           0.03    4.31       -3.4
   Augusta, GA           0.01    5.44       -2.3           
     *Florence           0.64    2.96       -3.5  
  Myrtle Beach           0.59    5.51       -0.9            
    Charleston           0.14    4.86       -1.6  
             
   *Equipment problems have made rainfall reports unreliable.

 
        

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the 24-hour period ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 48 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were at or above normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and
Savannah will average around 48 degrees.