On Monday, June 26, a cold front approaching from the west triggered severe thunderstorms, causing wind damage in Lexington, Kershaw, Richland, Saluda, and Sumter counties. Storm spotters reported 1.75” hail and wind damage near Chesnee in Cherokee, and 1” was observed near Dreher Island State Park in Lexington County. The severe storms lasted through the early morning on Tuesday, producing more wind damage in parts of Florence, Georgetown, and Horry counties. As the cold front moved offshore on Tuesday, it provided drier air across the Southeast, and high pressure built in over the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Overnight temperatures were slightly cooler than normal throughout Wednesday, with lows in the mid-60s to low 70s, while high temperatures were near average, reaching the upper 80s to mid-90s.
Flow around the high pressure funneled smoke from the Canadian fires back into the region, causing hazy and poor air quality conditions on Thursday and Friday. High temperatures reached the low-90s, but moisture started to move back into the region as a weak area of low pressure formed along a stalled frontal boundary off the Southeast coast. A high-pressure system set up over the southern Appalachians and scattered strong to severe thunderstorms formed across the state throughout the period, causing wind gusts up to 50mph and isolated reports of minor wind damage.
The hot and humid conditions led to heat indices over 100 degrees across most of the state on Saturday. Maximum heat index values on Sunday reached 106 degrees at the National Weather Service station located at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, 103 degrees at the Charleston International Airport, and 101 at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Weather conditions caused moderate rip currents along the South Carolina coast, and per Horry County Beach Patrol, there were 22 rip current rescues near Myrtle Beach on Sunday. Lightning from strong thunderstorms over the weekend caused structure fires in Sandy Springs and near Tigerville in the Upstate. Lightning struck a tree at the Man o' War Golf Club in Myrtle Beach on Sunday, damaging the tree and underground water irrigation lines.
(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 | 0.09 | 32.01 | 7.9 |
| Greer Airport | 0.14 | 35.66 | 11.0 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 24.05 | 2.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.51 | 30.22 | 8.1 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.15M | 30.79M | 5.9M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.32 | 32.44 | 9.9 |
| Florence Airport | 0.12 | 21.36 | 0.4 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.26 | 18.11 | -1.8 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.00 | 19.34 | -3.7 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.03 | 24.63 | 1.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 79 degrees. Columbia: 81 degrees. Barnwell: 77 degrees. Mullins: 75 degrees.
The rainfall totals over the period were less than in previous weeks. The Midlands and Pee Dee regions recorded a third of an inch up to half an inch of rain. Portions of the Lowcountry and Piedmont did not record any rainfall over the seven days, while some localized parts of Lee, Richland, and Sumter counties recorded over two inches of rain, and some portions of Oconee and Pickens counties benefited from between one and two inches of rain.
While streamflow at gauges within the state’s watersheds were recorded within normal ranges, it was mainly due to the rainfall from the previous period. The values at the gauges dropped to the lower end of the range, especially in parts of the Catawba and Upper Santee basins. Gauges in the Pee Dee continued to report above-normal streamflow values as water that fell in North Carolina continued to move through the system. River height values remained below action and minor flood stages; however, tidal gauges along the coast recorded heights at minor flood stage at the end of the period.
