The main weather story during the period was the generally fair weather conditions with above-normal temperatures.
On Monday, February 20, a cold front was positioned north of the region that helped to trigger some scattered showers across the state through Thursday. Breezy conditions were noted during most of the workweek, with the southerly flow around an offshore high pressure providing ample, warm air across the Southeast US. Maximum and minimum temperatures from Tuesday through Friday were up to twenty degrees above average, as it felt more like the end of May instead of the end of February. The temperatures were on par with those measured in 2018, which is currently the warmest February on record for the state. The record warm temperatures broke 19 daily maximum temperature records and 30 daily high minimum temperatures. Overnight temperatures were in the upper 50s to mid-60s, while daytime temperatures soared into the mid-80s. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Charleston International Airport set a new record high temperature of 86 degrees on February 24. It tied the overall maximum February temperature record set in 1962.
Clouds increased across the region on Friday as a weakening cold front moved toward the area. The front pushed through during the late afternoon and evening hours, with most of the rain recorded during the period falling overnight. Conditions on Saturday were cloudy and much cooler than during the work week, with high temperatures only reaching the mid to upper 50s. Mostly cloudy skies were seen on early Sunday that eventually started to give way to some sunshine and temperatures in the 60s and 70s.
(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 | 0.30 | 10.85 | 3.2 |
| Greer Airport | 0.07 | 10.90 | 3.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.06 | 8.76 | 2.4 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.37 | 9.29 | 2.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.32 | 9.50 | 2.0 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.40 | 11.87 | 4.6 |
| Florence Airport | 0.59 | 8.03 | 2.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.39 | 5.95 | 0.0 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.20 | 7.84 | 1.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.00 | 7.30 | 1.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 55 degrees. Columbia: 60 degrees. Barnwell: 55 degrees. Mullins: 57 degrees.
A cold front at the end of the period provided most of the rainfall across the state. Areas near Aiken and Augusta recorded the highest precipitation amounts, with isolated pockets of up to two inches falling near the Savannah River. Another rainfall maximum, up to an inch and a half, was measured near the Columbia area, especially in portions of Fairfield, Lexington, and Richland counties. Elsewhere, rainfall was sparse, ranging from trace amounts in the Lowcountry to half an inch in parts of the Pee Dee and Upstate.
Even with precipitation during the period, the 14-day averages for stream flow values across much of the state remained normal. A few stream flow gauges in the Lower Savannah River basin reported values slightly above normal conditions. Most river heights returned to levels below the action stage. The only exception was the gauge at the Savannah River near Cylo, which was still above minor flood stage but was trending toward normal heights.
