On Monday, April 17, cooler, dry air moved into the region behind a cold front to start the week. Morning low temperatures dropped to the mid-40s in the Upstate but were in the mid-50s closer to the coast. High temperatures were slightly cooler but closer to normal for mid-April, reaching the low to mid-70s. The high pressure built over the Southeast through the week, and the drier air allowed for overnight radiational cooling. On Tuesday morning, temperatures were up to ten degrees below normal, with some locations dropping into the mid-30s. The cool start was followed by a rapid warm-up as afternoon temperatures climbed into the mid-70s to low 80s.
With high pressure centered over the region, sunny conditions and the warming trend continued through the middle of the week, despite the cool starts to Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Under sunny skies, the warming trend continued, and daytime temperatures were ten degrees above average, with high temperatures reaching the mid- to upper 80s. The dry air mass produced relative humidity values of around 20 percent. On Friday, the high pressure shifted offshore, and moisture increased ahead of an approaching cold front.
Morning thunderstorms moved through the Upstate on Saturday, with severe weather in parts of the Pee Dee as the cold front pushed through the state during the afternoon. Hail, ranging from pea- to quarter-sized, was reported in Chesterfield, Dillon, Marion, and Sumter counties. Some thunderstorms produced strong winds, and multiple trees were knocked down in Dillon, injuring an individual. The winds along the coast gusted up to 45 mph within the thunderstorms. Cooler temperatures prevailed on Sunday behind the front as another shot of cool, dry air filtered into the region. Morning temperatures on Sunday were ten degrees below normal, with upper 30s recorded in the Upstate and mid-40s elsewhere, with slightly cooler daytime temperatures reaching the mid- to upper 70s.
(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 | 0.30 | 18.25 | 2.8 |
| Greer Airport | 0.57 | 19.70 | 4.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.33 | 14.46 | 0.9 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.00 | 16.97 | 4.4 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.01M | 16.53M | 2.3M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | Trace | 19.81 | 5.9 |
| Florence Airport | 0.42 | 15.31 | 3.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.91 | 10.20 | -1.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.70 | 11.23 | -1.1 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.22 | 11.81 | -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: 70 degrees. Columbia: 66 degrees. Barnwell: 60 degrees. Mullins: 64 degrees.
The work week remained dry, with only a few scattered showers on Friday, with most of the rain recorded during the period produced by a cold front on Saturday. Rainfall totals during the period ranged from less than a tenth of an inch south of the Interstate 85 corridor and most of the Midlands to about an inch of rain in the mountains and across the Pee Dee. Isolated parts of Charleston, Dillon, and Horry counties recorded over two inches. The most recent United States Drought Monitor map showed abnormally dry (D0) conditions in portions of Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, and Williamsburg counties.
The 14-day averages for stream flow values at most gauges remained normal. However, a few gauges reported stream flows slightly above normal. River heights slowly fell throughout the week, with most of the gauges dropping below the action stage; however, the river height gauge on the Savannah River near Clyo and the gauge on the Little Pee Dee River near Galivants Ferry were still in the action stage at the end of the period.
