The main weather stories for the first week of May were the below-normal temperatures and dry conditions. On Monday, May 1, high pressure settled into the central US, providing mostly sunny skies and ushering cooler and drier air into the region behind the departing cold front. Breezy conditions prevailed through most of the work week with a low-pressure system over the Great Lakes. Maximum and minimum temperatures through Wednesday ranged from five to ten degrees below normal, with lows in the 40s and highs in the 70s, though some locations closer to the coast reached the 80s.
Temperatures on Thursday morning were the coldest during the period. Lows at some of the stations in the Midlands and Upstate dropped into the mid-30s, and temperatures in the upper 40s were measured at the coast. The dry conditions and cooler temperatures persisted as highs across the state reached the mid to upper 70s. The high pressure shifted offshore Friday, and moisture increased Friday night as a weak system moved through the region.
A weak frontal boundary drifted across the state, triggering some scattered showers on Saturday. Saturday was the last day of below-normal temperatures as a surface ridge off the coast caused southwest flow into the region. On Sunday, temperatures reached the upper 70s and lower 80s, near normal for the beginning of May. During the evening, a mesoscale convective system moved across North Carolina and through portions of the Upstate, producing severe thunderstorms with frequent lightning, heavy rain, and strong winds. There were reports of downed trees in Campobello, Inman, and Landrum due to some of the strong winds.
(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 | 0.42 | 21.75 | 5.1 |
| Greer Airport | 0.49 | 25.67 | 8.3 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.00 | 17.64 | 2.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.00 | 19.15 | 5.2 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.00 | 18.21 | 2.4 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.04 | 22.64 | 7.6 |
| Florence Airport | 0.00 | 16.11 | 3.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.00 | 11.94 | -1.3 | Charleston Air Force Base | Trace | 12.12 | -1.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.04 | 13.49 | -0.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 62 degrees. Columbia: 66 degrees. Barnwell: 61 degrees. Mullins: 68 degrees.
Most of the rainfall recorded during the period occurred on Monday. Daily stations reported their 24-hour totals ending that morning, with some totals over half an inch reported due to rain late on Sunday. The remainder of the period was dry, with much of the state receiving no rain or totals of less than half a quarter of an inch of rainfall. The most recent United States Drought Monitor map showed abnormally dry (D0) conditions in parts of Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, and Williamsburg counties.
Despite the lack of rainfall during the period, the 14-day averages for most stream flow values in the state’s watersheds remained above normal. While high flows were recorded on both the Broad and Saluda rivers, river heights continued to fall at the beginning of the new work week. However, the river height gauge on the Santee River near Jamestown was in minor flood state as water continued to move through the watershed. Elsewhere, most stream flow gauges remained normal, with most river gauge heights below the action stage.
