WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2025
March 10, 2025 - March 16, 2025
WEATHER SUMMARY:
On Monday, March 10, a surface low and associated upper low strengthened as they moved off the South Carolina coast. Showers and storms associated with the lows produced rain, with periods of heavy rain through the evening. Roughly an inch of rain fell across the Midlands before drier air moved into the region overnight. High pressure returned to the area on Tuesday, bringing ample sunshine and temperatures into the low to mid-70s.
Dry conditions continued Wednesday and prevailed into the first part of the weekend. With high pressure over the region, overnight lows were in the 40s. Still, daytime temperatures continued to warm throughout the week, reaching the upper 70s to low 80s, nearly fifteen degrees above normal in some locations. A few scattered showers were observed across the region on Thursday, but overall conditions remained calm. A backdoor front brought morning fog and above-normal temperatures on Friday.
Breezy conditions were reported across the state on Saturday, March 15, as the chance of rain increased throughout the day. A strong cold front approached the region late Saturday night with a threat of strong to severe thunderstorms. It brought localized flash flooding and gusty winds as it moved through the state early Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon. Thunderstorm wind damage was reported in Barnwell, Lexington, and Newberry counties. The National Weather Service in Columbia confirmed that a high-end EF-0/low-end EF-1 tornado touched down near Dreher Island State Park, causing tree damage and minor structural damage along its six-mile path in the Chapin area. As the line moved across the Coastal Plain, the NWS station at Charleston International Airport recorded a 56 mph wind gust and the station at Springmaid Pier reported a 39 mph gust.
(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.)
The highest reported temperature was 84 degrees on March 15 at the NWS station near Langley in Aiken County.
The lowest temperature reported was 29 degrees at the NWS stations near Sandy Springs in Anderson County on March 11 and Jocassee in Oconee County on March 12.
The NWS station near Barnwell in Barnwell County reported a maximum 24-hour precipitation of 2.35 inches, ending on the morning of March 16.
The CoCoRaHS station Columbia 2.1 NNW (SC-RC-127) reported a 24-hour precipitation total of 3.03 inches, ending on the morning of March 11.
The state average precipitation for the seven-day period was 1.8 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
| | Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure |
| Anderson Airport | 1.20 | 7.84 | -2.5 |
| Greer Airport | 1.13 | 8.41 | -1.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.80 | 6.33 | -2.4 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 2.32 | 6.61 | -2.2 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 2.44M | 7.40M | -2.5M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.79 | 8.09 | -1.6 |
| Florence Airport | 2.67 | 7.01 | -0.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 2.34 | 5.03 | -3.0 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 1.26 | 4.74 | -3.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.61 | 5.92 | -2.0 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
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SOIL TEMPERATURES:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia: 62 degrees. Barnwell: 62 degrees. Mullins: 67 degrees.
PRECIPITATION AND RIVER STAGES:
During the period, most of the state received at least half an inch of rain; however, portions of Beaufort and Jasper counties recorded closer to a third of an inch. The highest totals were in the Midlands and Pee Dee regions, where most locations recorded more than two inches of rain, with isolated areas reporting over three inches. With precipitation falling at the beginning of the period, before the Tuesday morning data cut off, the U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, March 13, showed drought conditions improved in parts of the Pee Dee, with a reduction in the size of the severe (D2) conditions, and the removal of some moderate (D1) designations in the Midlands.
With rainfall during the period, the 14-day average streamflow across portions of the Midlands and interior portions of the Pee Dee showed increased flow values, with many gauges reporting values within the normal range. However, gauges in portions of the Lowcountry and those in the coastal Pee Dee region reported values below normal. The gauges on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry, Black Creek at Kingstree, and the Waccamaw River near Longs all reported well below expected flows. Some of the gauges on smaller tributaries of the Saluda and Savannah rivers recorded values much below normal, while most of the gauges recorded below-normal flows. The height levels at the river and the tidal gauges remained below the flood stage.
WATER TEMPERATURES:
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 60.8 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 59.4 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 59.2 degrees.
