High pressure over the region provided near normal temperatures and dry weather through mid-week. Much of the state reported cooler than normal temperatures on Monday and Tuesday mornings, with some locations dropping into the upper 40s. Daytime highs on both days rebounded into the upper 70s to mid-80s, up to five degrees below normal for that time of year. Temperatures gradually moderated during the period, with high temperatures returning to near normal, with maximum values ranging from the mid-80s to low-90s. However, overnight lows were slightly above normal, in the 70s, due to increased moisture and cloud cover.
On Wednesday, June 2, the high pressure shifted offshore, leading to an increase in moisture across the region. This provided a much-needed break from the dry weather and return to a summer-time rainfall pattern, with showers and thunderstorms developing each day through the rest of the period. While widespread severe weather was not observed, there were some isolated severe storms across the state. Severe thunderstorms moved through the Pee Dee on Thursday. The Wilmington National Weather Service (NWS) office confirmed an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds estimated at 90 mph, touched down near Mullins, damaging multiple structures along its path. Widespread portions of the Midlands and Pee Dee recorded between one and two inches.
An approaching cold front helped funnel additional moisture into the region on Friday, and coastal locations from Charleston to Myrtle Beach reported between one to two inches from thunderstorms. The stalled frontal boundary triggered additional storms on Saturday, which were nearly stationary and produced heavy rain in Berkeley County, localized flooding in College Park, Goose Creek, Knightville, and Summerville. CoCoRaHS observers in the area reported between four and eight inches of rain from the event. In the Upstate, the NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport set a new daily maximum rainfall record of 2.82 inches, breaking the previous record of 1.64 inches set back in 1994. On Sunday, June 6, heavy rain in Horry County left standing water on roads in North Myrtle Beach.
(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 | 0.52 | 16.21 | -4.3 |
| Greer Airport | 3.04 | 23.93 | 2.6 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.76 | 17.71 | -0.9 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.82 | 19.40 | 1.7 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.60 | 13.41M | -4.3M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.21 | 21.43 | 2.9 |
| Florence Airport | 1.37 | 18.03 | 1.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 3.24 | 19.81 | 3.6 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.94 | 17.79 | 0.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 2.38 | 17.28 | -1.0 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 74 degrees. Columbia: 76 degrees. Barnwell: 72 degrees. Mullins: 74 degrees.
Much needed rain fell across portions of the state during the period, including one to two inches over the Pee Dee region, which reported its driest spring on record since 1895. Precipitation was limited in the Upstate with many locations measuring less than a quarter of an inch; however, a few places observed close to two inches due to localized thunderstorms. More than half an inch fell across the remainder of the state, with isolated pockets of four or more inches in the Lowcountry.
While the rain helped ease the persistent dry conditions across portions of the state, some streamflow values reported at gauges within the four major watersheds were still below normal. Widespread rainfall across the Waccamaw River basin increased the streamflow near Longs, but the values were still below the long-term average for the beginning of June. All rivers across the state continued to record river heights below flood stage.
