WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2015

May 11 - May 17, 2015

WEATHER SUMMARY:

Monday's ninety-degree heat added extra fuel to afternoon thunderstorms. The USGS rain gage at Riverbanks Botanical Gardens measured 0.70 inches in 15 minutes. Trees were blown down in Lexington and Richland counties with one-inch diameter hail reported in Orangeburg County and 1.25-inch hail in Simpsonville. Sumter AP (KSMS) and Kingstree AP (KCKI) both recorded a 19-degree, one hour temperature fall following storms. Twenty-four-hour rainfalls measured on Tuesday morning included 1.70 inches at Columbia Metro AP, 1.00 inches at Dillon and 0.95 inches at Walterboro. Jamestown and Barnwell reached a Tuesday high temperature of 94 degrees. A weak layer of cooler air arrived Wednesday bringing afternoon temperatures back to more seasonal values. Sassafras Mt. recorded a Wednesday maximum temperature of 78 degrees and Johnston was the warmest spot in the state 88 degrees. Thursday started cool with Anderson, Lake City and Charleston reporting 60 degrees. Rock Hill and Summerville recorded an afternoon high temperature of just 75 degrees. Friday's sunrise at the Conway AP was a cool 54 degrees. Seasonal warming, under mostly sunny conditions, began a return on Friday and continued through the weekend. Clarks Hill and Sandhill noted a Friday high temperature of 85 degrees. At 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Columbia and Florence had warmed to 85 degrees and were matched at the same hour on Sunday by Greenwood and Orangeburg. At week's end, available sunshine for the date had increased to fourteen hours. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was four degrees above the long-term average.

The highest official temperature reported was 95 degrees at Barnwell on May 11 (the state's highest temperature since September 12, 2014). The lowest official temperature reported was 45 degrees at Jocassee 8WNW on May 14. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.89 inches at the Orangeburg AP on May 11. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 0.4 inches.

PRECIPITATION:

Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL:

4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 77 degrees, Charleston 78 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF:

South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Charleston Harbor reported a water temperature of 76 degrees and Springmaid Pier at Myrtle Beach reported a surf water temperature of 75 degrees.