Temperatures on Monday, May 29, were warmer than those recorded over the holiday weekend but still below normal, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 70s. Showers lingered over the Coastal Plain as the low pressure off the coast slowly moved out of the area, but conditions improved throughout the day. On Tuesday, a weak frontal boundary triggered some additional scattered showers over portions of the Upstate and southern Midlands, and these conditions prevailed through Wednesday. The first day of climatological summer, Thursday, June 1, brought a return to a typically late-spring and early-summer pattern. Dry conditions prevailed with a weak high pressure in control of the weather with abundant sunshine and slightly cooler than average temperatures, with lows in the 60s and highs in the upper 70s to low 80s.
On Friday, June 2, Tropical Storm Arlene formed in the Gulf of Mexico but posed no immediate threat to South Carolina. While overnight lows were cool, in the low 60s, on Saturday morning, highs were slightly above normal, with temperatures in the upper 80s to 90 degrees. A weak backdoor cold front triggered some shower activity as it moved through the state, ushering in drier and cooler air on Sunday as high pressure built back into the region.
The biggest weather story during the period was the coastal flooding over the weekend. Persistent northeast winds prompted the National Weather Service to issue small craft advisories for South Carolina waters and contributed to tide levels that exceeded the astronomical predictions. The Charleston Harbor Tidal Gauge recorded astronomical tides ranging between 7.69 feet and 8.37 feet MLLW. The higher tides caused moderate to major flooding in low-lying coastal areas and closed roads in the Charleston area due to saltwater flooding. There were reports of water flowing into yards and under elevated houses on Sullivans Island, significant dune erosion and ocean overwash on the north side of Isle of Palms, and flooding along Back Bay Creek on Edisto Island.
(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 | Trace | 24.40 | 4.3 |
| Greer Airport | 0.21 | 29.85 | 8.8 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.81 | 21.21 | 2.9 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.00 | 24.10 | 6.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.91M | 21.09M | 1.4M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.00 | 26.11 | 7.9 |
| Florence Airport | Trace | 18.10 | 1.5 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.33 | 15.38 | -0.6 | Charleston Air Force Base | Trace | 15.10 | -2.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | Trace | 17.83 | 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: 71 degrees. Columbia: 73 degrees. Barnwell: 67 degrees. Mullins: 71 degrees.
Rainfall was sparse across the state, with much of the state recording no rain or totals of less than half a quarter of an inch of rainfall during the period. Most of the rainfall recorded during the period occurred on Monday when daily stations reported their 24-hour totals ending that morning. Only locations under the spotty shower and thunderstorm activity recorded totals of over half an inch of rain. The abnormally dry (D0) conditions in the Lowcountry were removed on the Thursday, May 30, release of the United States Drought Monitor map, but those in the Pee Dee region remained.
Despite the lack of rainfall during the period, the 14-day averages for most stream flow values in the state’s watersheds remained at average flow values. However, streamflow values increased at gauges in the Lower Savannah and Edisto basins as rain from the previous period moved through the rivers. Spotty shower activity in the Pee Dee alleviated some of the decreased stream flow values, but much below normal values were reported on the Little Pee Dee River near Galivants Ferry. While river height gauges across the state remained below the action stage, coastal flooding was reported on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
