There was a cool start to the period as some locations across the state reported morning temperatures in the mid-20s to mid-30s. Daytime high temperatures rebounded into the 60s, with a few stations recording maximum temperatures in the lower 70s. The high-pressure system that controlled the weather during the weekend shifted offshore on Monday, February 21, producing southerly wind to increase moisture and temperatures across the region. During the workweek, maximum and minimum temperatures were up to twenty-five degrees above the normal for the end of February. A significant storm system slowly moved through the Midwest on Tuesday. Still, the high pressure remained in control of the weather pattern, producing temperatures well above average, with lows in the 50s and highs in the upper 60s in the Upstate to mid-70s elsewhere.
After a foggy start to Wednesday morning, due to overnight low temperatures only dropping into the upper 50s to low 60s and increased moisture over the region, temperatures soared into the 80s in portions of the Lowcountry and Midlands. The National Weather Service Office in Charleston set a new daily record maximum temperature of 86 degrees, breaking the previous record of 82 degrees in 2018. A cold front approached the region, triggering scattered showers around the state. The heaviest rain was reported in the Upstate, including stations in Greenville County, which recorded over an inch of rain.
The cold front stalled over the Upstate and northern Midlands late Wednesday and into Thursday, creating a cold air damming situation. The NWS station at the Rock Hill York County Airport reported a high of 62 degrees. In comparison, the station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport measured a high of 85 degrees, a new daily record high for the station. The dry cold front started to push through the region by Friday, but not before producing record high temperatures at the NWS Charleston and NWS Greenville-Spartanburg stations.
Temperatures over the weekend were cooler than the workweek, as dry, cool air moved into the region behind the front. Temperatures were still slightly warm on Saturday, with highs in the mid-60s in locations north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor, while some coastal areas reported maximum temperatures in the mid-70s. Isolated showers developed late Saturday night as an upper-level low-pressure system moved through the state. Light rain continued to fall on Sunday, producing more than half an inch of rain in the Upstate to less than a tenth of an inch along the coast. Morning temperatures in the 40s struggled to reach the mid-50s by the late afternoon, up to ten degrees below normal.
(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 | 1.34 | 6.43 | -1.4 |
| Greer Airport | 1.61 | 8.19 | 0.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.99 | 6.81 | 0.3 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.23 | 5.92 | -0.8 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.15s | 7.09s | -0.5s |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.26 | 5.24 | -2.1 |
| Florence Airport | 0.24 | 6.15 | 0.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.66 | 5.79 | -0.3 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.01 | 3.05 | -3.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.07 | 3.74 | -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: 54 degrees. Columbia: 60 degrees. Barnwell: 55 degrees. Mullins: 60 degrees.
For the second week in a row, locations north and west of the Interstate 20 corridor recorded over half an inch of rain, and some CoCoRaHS observers in the Upstate reported over an inch. Rainfall 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 across the Palmetto State. Abnormally dry conditions (D0) expanded into the interior portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee. The area of moderate drought (D1) in the Pee Dee expanded toward the coast, while D1 conditions were introduced in the coastal Lowcountry.
Despite the widespread rain, the amounts did little to improve streamflow values that had declined since the beginning of the month. Nearly half of the current streamflow gauges in South Carolina are reporting values below normal. The streamflow values in the Pee Dee watershed continued to measure below to much below average, including the gauges on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry and on the Waccamaw River near Longs. Statewide, all rivers observed heights below the flood stage.
