Windy conditions on Monday, June 21, led to moderate rip currents along South Carolina beaches. The temperatures on Monday would be the only time they were near normal during the entire period, with morning lows in the mid-70s, and highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. A cold front moved into the region on Tuesday, producing widespread cloud cover and rain. The National Weather Service (NWS) station in Spartanburg measured a low of 72 degrees, which set a new daily record high minimum temperature, breaking the previous record of 71 set in 2000.
Behind the cold front, a high-pressure system set-up to the north of the region, providing drier air and mostly sunny skies through Thursday. Temperatures were cooler than traditionally observed during summer, with lows in the mid- to upper 60s, and highs only reaching the mid-80s. Another round of King Tides impacted the coast, and there were multiple reports of shallow saltwater flooding in downtown Charleston and low-lying areas along the entire South Carolina coast. The tidal gauge in the Charleston Harbor reached 7.49 ft MLLW on Wednesday evening and 7.47 ft on Thursday evening.
Under clear skies and with low dewpoints, overnight temperatures dropped into the upper 50s on Friday at some locations, nearly ten degrees below normal. The NWS stations near Pelion and on the University of South Carolina campus in Richland County recorded a low of 59 degrees. This tied the daily low record set in 1936 at the USC location, a broke the previous record of 61 degrees from 1984 at the Pelion station. By the late afternoon, the high pressure shifted offshore, setting up a typical summer pattern with diurnal shower and thunderstorm activity over the state. Temperatures returned to normal on Saturday, with lows in the 70s and highs in the low 90s. By Sunday, more moisture moved into the region as a weak tropical wave in the western Atlantic started to move toward the 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 | 0.22 | 19.56 | -3.8 |
| Greer Airport | 0.04 | 27.51 | 3.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.06 | 20.69 | -0.7 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.36 | 22.29 | 1.0 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.24 | 17.88M | -3.1 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.29 | 28.46 | 6.6 |
| Florence Airport | 0.11 | 22.16 | 2.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 3.38 | 24.88 | 5.8 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.46 | 23.80 | 1.9 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.64 | 21.10M | -1.5M |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 79 degrees. Columbia: 79 degrees. Barnwell: 73 degrees. Mullins: 72 degrees.
At least half an inch of rain fell across the entire state during the period, helping to ease continued dry conditions. Locations impacted by isolated and slow-moving thunderstorms measured rainfall amounts of two to three inches, mainly in parts of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee. CoCoRaHS observers in Charleston and Georgetown counties reported seven-day rainfall totals closer to four inches.
With the added precipitation this period, some stream gauges measured slightly above normal flows, including the Saluda River near the Lake Murray Dam, the Lynches River at Bishopville, and the Santee River near St. Stephen. Rain that fell over the Waccamaw River Basin helped increase streamflow along the river. However, the current flows are still below the long-term average. All rivers across the state continued to record river heights below flood stage.
