High pressure built over the region, causing extremely warm conditions. Maximum temperatures through Friday were in the upper 90s to over 100 degrees, with heat indices reaching unhealthy levels across much of the state. On Monday, June 13, several recruits at Parris Island had to be treated for heat-related illnesses when the HI at the MCAS Beaufort reached over 110 degrees. The National Weather Service (NWS) station in Santuck recorded a high of 100 degrees, breaking the previous daily maximum temperature record of 99 degrees set back in 1921. Eight maximum temperature records were tied during the period, while twelve were broken. Additionally, nineteen high minimum temperature records were either tied or broken.
The instability that helped produce thunderstorm activity on Tuesday was from the same disturbance that caused severe weather in portions of the Midwest. Some of the storms were accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds that caused minor damage in parts of the southern Central Savannah River area. High pressure was still in control of the weather on Wednesday as a backdoor cold front pushed through the Pee Dee region.
On Thursday, a weak disturbance moved southward along the Eastern Seaboard, triggering severe thunderstorms. A nearly stationary storm produced hail, frequent lightning, and heavy rain. The intense rain rates caused flash flooding in downtown Columbia, including a water rescue in the Five Points area and multiple roadway washouts. The NWS Wilmington Office confirmed an EF0 near Oats in Darlington, with estimated peak winds of 85 mph. The tornado snapped trees, flipped an agricultural irrigation system, and caused minor damage to a church and some structures along its 3.8-mile path.
A cold front pushed through the state on Friday, and hot, humid conditions helped the development of scattered thunderstorms. A storm spotter reported 1.75-inch diameter hail near Tigerville in Greenville County, and lightning destroyed a dock at Lake Hartwell. Behind the cold front, slightly cooler and drier are funneled into the region, a welcome break from the weather during the workweek. The NWS station near Spartanburg reported a low temperature of 53 degrees on Sunday morning, which tied the record for the day, set back in 2008.
The Charleston Harbor Tidal Gauge recorded high astronomical tides due to the June King Tide event. The tidal levels ranged between 7.2 feet and 7.3 feet MLLW starting on Monday and Tuesday, and a tide of 7.94 feet on Wednesday, which caused shallow to moderate flooding on the low-lying South Carolina coast.
(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 | 0.08 | 18.73 | -3.6 |
| Greer Airport | 0.62 | 26.24 | 3.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.51 | 19.88 | -0.7 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.08 | 17.72 | -2.4 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 1.36s | 24.32s | 1.8s |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.98 | 20.01 | -0.8 |
| Florence Airport | 0.88 | 16.89 | -2.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.73 | 17.24 | -0.9 | Charleston Air Force Base | 1.40 | 14.29 | -6.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.85 | 10.87 | -10.2 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 76 degrees. Columbia: 80 degrees. Barnwell: 71 degrees. Mullins: 67 degrees.
Rainfall during the period was a little more widespread than in previous weeks, though areas north of the Fall Line had less precipitation than the rest of the state. Precipitation totals ranged from no rain reported near Antreville and Ware Shoals to a maximum of five inches near Lexington. Heavy rain on Thursday evening caused urban flash flooding in portions of downtown Columbia, and a nearby CoCoRaHS observer measured a 24-hour total of 4.78 inches, most of the rain coming from the one event. Unfortunately, despite some localized heavy rainfall from thunderstorms, the lack of rain led to an expansion of abnormally dry conditions (D0) and moderate (D1) and severe (D2) drought conditions in the United States Drought Monitor.
With the continued lack of rainfall in portions of the state, the 14-day streamflow averages at many of the gauges of the four main watersheds dropped to well-below normal thresholds. Additionally, at least five gauges across the state were reporting values much below normal, or less than 10% of the average streamflow for the middle of June. All the state’s rivers observed heights below the flood stage, although a round of King Tides caused coastal gauges to rise to minor and moderate flood stages at the beginning of the period.
