High pressure provided fair conditions across the Palmetto State through the middle of the week. Under clear skies, overnight lows dropped into the 30s and 40s, with some locations in the Midlands reporting a light frost. Temperatures rebounded into the low to mid-70s. As a weak system moved into the area late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the moisture flowed back into the region, increasing the cloud cover and rain chances. Both maximum and minimum temperatures were slightly warmer than normal, and the warming trend continued through the remainder of the period.
On Thursday, March 25, a warm front lifted through the area, bringing maximum temperatures up to fifteen degrees above normal, with locations in the Midlands reaching the mid to upper 80s. In addition to the warm temperatures, storms developed across the state. One storm moved from Greenwood County to Lancaster County and produced strong winds, downing numerous trees and some power poles. Storm spotters reported hail, up to one inch in diameter, from the same storm in Union and Fairfield counties. A broken band of showers slid into the region ahead of a cold front on Friday, and some of the early morning storms dropped more hail in parts of Greenwood and McCormick counties. The National Weather Service (NWS) station in Charleston reported a high temperature of 86 degrees, which tied the daily record maximum temperature set in 1938.
On Friday weak boundary moved north over the region, triggering some showers and thunderstorms across the state. Temperatures remained ten to fifteen degrees above normal over the weekend. On Saturday, the NWS station at the Florence Regional Airport reported a high of 89 degrees, breaking the record of 87 degrees set last year. Windy conditions over the weekend kicked up pollen, creating hazy conditions and poor air quality. As thunderstorms rolled through the state on Sunday, instruments at Hamilton Owens Downtown Columbia Airport reported wind gusts of 58 mph, gusts of 60 mph at McEntire JNG, and wind gusts of 63 mph at Shaw Air Force Base.
(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 | 1.06 | 9.97 | -1.7 |
| Greer Airport | 2.47 | 13.78 | 1.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 2.06 | 13.13 | 2.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.65 | 14.45 | 3.9 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.33 | 9.47M | -1.7M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.52 | 15.67 | 4.0 |
| Florence Airport | 0.22 | 13.98 | 4.8 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.35 | 13.28 | 2.6 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.08 | 11.70 | 1.7 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.06 | 11.47 | 1.6 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 67 degrees. Columbia: 66 degrees. Barnwell: 60 degrees. Mullins: 70 degrees.
Rainfall totals over the period ranged from less than a tenth of an inch along the South Carolina coast to over five inches in the northern portions of the Upstate. The majority of the heavy rain fell north and west of the Interstate 20 corridor, where locations reported at least half an inch of rain. Localized amounts of two to three inches fell in Greenwood, Laurens, Saluda, and Union counties. CoCoRaHS observers in Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens counties reported up to six inches of rain, most of that falling on Thursday and Friday.
With the heaviest rainfall in the Upstate, streamflow values were observed to be much above normal, especially on portions of the Saluda River. Due to the high rainfall totals in the North Carolina portions of the Broad and Pee Dee basins responded with increased streamflow values. As the rain started to move through the system, river stage heights began to rise on the Congaree and Wateree rivers in the Midlands. A few gauges reached minor flood stage, such as the Wateree River at Lake Wateree and the Saluda River at Chappells. At the Congaree River at Carolina Eastman, the river rose to moderate flood stage and was expected to drop slowly during the next period.
