The main weather stories during the period were the warmer-than-normal temperatures throughout the workweek and the front that pushed through the state over the weekend. On Monday, April 3, widespread light showers produced less than a tenth of an inch of rain, and the overcast skies kept daytime temperatures slightly cooler than average, with highs in the 60s to lower 70s. On Tuesday, a warm front lifted across the state, and temperatures rose into the upper 70s to mid-80s. The warming trend continued into Wednesday, as the temperatures pushed into the upper 80s, up to fifteen degrees above normal. Three stations reached 90 degrees, and the National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport recorded a high of 89 degrees.
A broad, slow-moving frontal system approached the Southeast on Thursday, funneling moisture back into the area. On Friday, the front settled into the region and stalled, increasing rain chances and triggering showers and thunderstorms. A person was struck by lightning and injured in Gaffney. Strong non-convective winds knocked down multiple trees near the 17th tee box at Augusta National Golf Course. Temperatures in the Upstate were near normal but were still ten degrees above normal at the coast. However, temperatures fell throughout the day as a wedge of cold air set up across much of the state.
Maximum temperatures on Saturday struggled to reach the 50s, up to thirty degrees below normal, and temperatures felt more like January than April. Numerous daily low maximum temperature records were tied or broken across the state. The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport tied the record low maximum temperature for the day of 56 degrees set in 2003. The high of 46 degrees observed at the NWS Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport tied the record set in 1989. Widespread rain throughout the day and totals between two and three inches were measured in portions of the Midlands and Upstate by Sunday morning, and rain chances slowly decreased as the front cleared the area. Temperatures were still cool as high pressure built in behind the front, providing drier conditions for the new workweek.
The Charleston Harbor Tidal Gauge recorded astronomical tides ranging between 7.59 feet and 7.72 feet MLLW over the weekend. The higher tides caused shallow to moderate flooding in low-lying coastal areas and closed roads in the Charleston area due to saltwater flooding.
(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 | 2.03 | 17.66 | 4.3 |
| Greer Airport | 3.05 | 18.32 | 4.7 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 2.48 | 13.73 | 2.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 2.43 | 16.76 | 5.4 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 2.50 | 14.60 | 1.9 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.91 | 19.14 | 6.5 |
| Florence Airport | 1.83 | 14.68 | 4.5 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.77 | 8.91 | -1.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.99 | 10.37 | -0.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.76 | 11.02 | 0.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 55 degrees. Columbia: 59 degrees. Barnwell: 51 degrees. Mullins: 50 degrees.
Rainfall totals during the period ranged from half an inch along parts of the Lowcountry Coast to over two inches north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor. Isolated amounts of up to four inches were measured in parts of the Midlands and Upstate. While scattered showers were observed during the first part of the period, most of the rain came from a storm system that moved through the area over the weekend. The heaviest rain fell throughout Saturday, suspending the third round of play at the Master’s Tournament held at Augusta National. Before the rain at the end of the period, abnormally dry (D0) conditions were introduced into northern York, Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Greenville counties on the most recent United States Drought Monitor map.
The 14-day averages for stream flow values across the Midlands continued to increase due to the rain over the past few periods. Most of the gauges reported flows had returned to normal, though a few gauges continued to measure flows slightly below normal; two in the Pee Dee watershed and four in the Santee watershed. The widespread rain during the period caused a rise in river heights south of the Fall Line. Most river heights reported levels approaching the action stage, and a few gauges were forecasted to reach minor to moderate stages by the middle of the upcoming week.
