On Monday, March 14, morning temperatures were between ten and twenty degrees below normal, with lows in the upper 20s to low-30s. This marked the second day in a row with locations with sub-freezing temperatures, causing additional damage to blueberry, peach, and strawberry crops. The National Weather Service station in Batesburg recorded a low of 25 degrees, breaking the previous daily record minimum temperature of 27 degrees set back in 1896. As the high pressure moved offshore, temperatures rebounded into the mid-60s across the state by the afternoon. Low temperatures on Tuesday morning were not as cold, with lows in the 40s and 50s across the state, but were slightly cooler than normal. Low pressure near Dallas started to head east, increasing moisture across the region, leading to cloudy conditions and a chance of showers late in the day. Daytime temperatures rose into the upper 60s to low 70s.
On Wednesday, the low pressure moved through the Southeast, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to the Palmetto State. The thunderstorms produced pea-sized to quarter-sized hailstones in parts of Allendale, Berkeley, Dorchester, Edgefield, and Laurens counties. Cloud cover and increased moisture kept overnight temperatures slightly warmer than normal, while keeping daytime temperatures near normal. By Thursday morning, some portions of Darlington and Sumter counties measured up to five inches of rain. The low pressure continued to move off to the northeast and cleared the state by the afternoon; clouds diminished throughout the day, with highs reaching the 70s.
The brief break from active weather ended on Friday as a cold front approached and moved through the region on Friday, producing strong thunderstorms in the Lowcountry. Rainfall totals from the frontal passage were lower than those reported during the middle of the week and ranged between a tenth to half an inch. Behind the front, seasonable temperatures and a drier air mass moved back into the region for the weekend.
(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 | 1.58 | 10.70 | -0.2 |
| Greer Airport | 1.11 | 12.35 | 1.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.85 | 11.56 | 2.3 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.91 | 7.65 | -1.6 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 2.73s | 11.14s | 0.9s |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.17 | 8.49 | -1.7 |
| Florence Airport | 2.48 | 9.94 | 1.8 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.46 | 7.63 | -0.9 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.40 | 4.00 | -4.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.64 | 4.93 | -3.3 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: Not Available. Columbia: 60 degrees. Barnwell: Not Available. Mullins: 67 degrees.
For the second period in a row, most of the state recorded at least half an inch of rain during the period, with areas of the northern Midlands and interior Pee Dee reporting over two inches of rain. Most CoCoRaHS and NWS stations in areas around Bennettsville, Darlington, and Sumter recorded between three and four inches of rain, most of that falling on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Locations in the Upstate reported between one and two inches. However, the beneficial rain did not fall in coastal portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee that needed help alleviating worsening drought conditions. The United States Drought Monitor continued to report abnormally dry conditions (D0) and moderate drought (D1) across the state's eastern half.
With the widespread rainfall, streamflow gauges in the Midlands and Upstate recorded increases with some gauges reporting above normal flows by the end of the period. Some of the Pee Dee watershed gauges returned to normal streamflow values; however, a few measured much below average, and low values were reported at the gauges on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry and on the Waccamaw River near Longs. With rain falling in the headwaters of the Pee Dee, Santee, and Savannah basins, a few river height gauges rose into action stage, with forecasted heights to reach minor flood stage during the new work week. Most of the rivers observed heights below the flood stage.
