Morning temperatures were up to fifteen degrees colder than normal across much of the Palmetto State on Monday, March 8, as a strong, dry high pressure settled into the region. With low relative humidity values in place, overnight temperatures dropped into the low to mid-20s. The National Weather Service (NWS) station in Andrews reported a morning low of 26 degrees, roughly 14 degrees below normal. Despite the cool start, maximum temperatures rebounded to near normal later in the day, with highs in the low to mid-60s. The high pressure continued to influence the weather pattern on Tuesday and Wednesday, producing cooler overnight temperatures, but warming throughout the day due to the abundant sunshine.
By Thursday, March 11, daytime temperatures had risen into the mid and upper 70s across the state, and the springlike weather continued through the rest of the period. Overnight lows and daytime high temperatures were above normal. Increased cloudiness arrived on Saturday and Sunday as a back door cold front moved into the area. With the additional moisture in the region, some spotty shower activity developed over the northern tier of the state as another cold air daming event set up for the upcoming work week.
(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 | 0.00 | 7.47 | -2.4 |
| Greer Airport | 0.01 | 9.29 | -0.6 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.00 | 9.38 | 0.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | Trace | 12.12 | 3.1 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.00 | 8.54M | -0.9M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.00 | 12.83 | 3.0 |
| Florence Airport | 0.11 | 12.96 | 5.3 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.15 | 12.20 | 3.3 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.00 | 10.87 | 2.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.00 | 8.51 | 0.3 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: Not available. Columbia: 52 degrees. Barnwell: 43 degrees. Mullins: 38 degrees.
Rainfall totals during the period were limited to less than a tenth of an inch across the northern tier of the state. Only a few locations in Darlington, Florence, Horry, and York counties recorded precipitation from a weak backdoor cold front that moved over the region on Saturday and Sunday. The S.C. Forestry Commission reported eight new individual wildfires during the period, with a total of 146 acres burned before the fires were contained. The largest fire reported was in Oconee County, where 125 acres near Gnats Hallow and Callas Mountain were burned.
With continued drier conditions reported across the state, streamflow values continued to drop, with most of the gauges recording values near normal flows. Some gauges near the Fall Line observed streamflows slightly below normal. Many of the river heights within the Pee Dee basin returned to normal, and the only exception was along the Waccamaw River. The gauge near Conway along the Waccamaw River continued to drop slowly, but remained at moderate flood stage through much of the period.
