On Monday, April 11, high pressure over the Southeast influenced the weather through the middle of the week. Clear skies overnight allowed temperatures to drop into the low to mid-40s, up to ten degrees below normal. Still, plenty of sunshine allowed temperatures to rise into the upper 70s to low 80s, up to five degrees above normal. On Tuesday, the high pressure shifted offshore, providing southwesterly flow to help keep temperatures warm and increase moisture in the region. Conditions on Wednesday were like those on Monday and Tuesday, though there was more cloud cover and moisture as a cold front approached the area.
A low-pressure system moved into the Great Lakes on Thursday, April 14, and the associated cold front crossed the state, producing isolated showers. Precipitation totals were generally less than a tenth of an inch in those locations that observed rain. Behind the front, fair weather filtered into the region, and seasonable temperatures returned with overnight lows in the upper 40s to low 50s and daytime highs in the mid-70s.
An area of showers moved through the state on Saturday morning and lasted through the early afternoon hours, producing widespread rain across most of the state. Some locations recorded up to a third of an inch of rain, and some isolated places picked up more than half an inch. Temperatures continued to be near normal, with lows in the 50s and highs in the low to mid-70s. By Sunday, mostly clear skies helped temperatures rise into the upper 70s and low 80s. The Charleston Harbor tidal gauge recorded a tide of 7.35 ft MLLW on Sunday evening, causing some shallow flooding along the South Carolina coast’s low-lying areas.
(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 | 0.36 | 14.12 | -0.2 |
| Greer Airport | 0.43 | 16.20 | 1.5 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.03 | 14.45 | 1.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.21 | 12.21 | -0.2 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.61s | 16.17s | 2.7s |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.78 | 13.72 | -0.3 |
| Florence Airport | 0.61 | 12.45 | 1.5 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.20 | 10.56 | -0.8 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.09 | 8.09 | -3.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.02 | 6.63 | -4.9 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 63 degrees. Columbia: 65 degrees. Barnwell: 60 degrees. Mullins: 65 degrees.
The only measurable rainfall during the period occurred Friday night into Saturday morning, with the heaviest widespread precipitation over portions of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). Most of the state reported less than a quarter of an inch of rain, though isolated locations recorded half an inch. Over the past few weeks, rainfall has helped alleviate abnormally dry conditions (D0) and moderate drought (D1) in some areas; however, these conditions persist in the state's eastern half.
With additional rain falling in portions of the CSRA and Midlands, streamflow values at gauges in these areas continued to record above-average flows. Some Santee and Savannah River basins gauges reported much above normal flows. Normal flows were recorded elsewhere across the state; the only exceptions were the gauges on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry and the Waccamaw River near Longs. These two gauges, which reported extremely low flows in March, measured an increase in the streamflow but flows were still below the long-term average flows. As the water moved through the state's watersheds, a few river height gauges reached minor flood stage and were forecast to continue to rise. Most of the rivers observed heights below the flood stage.
