An unsettled atmosphere set up across the region that would control the weather through most of the work week. On Monday, June 27, a frontal boundary crossed the state that helped with the development of showers and thunderstorms. Strong thunderstorms produced minor wind damage in the Upstate, especially in Easley, Fountain Inn, and downtown Greenville. The frontal boundary stalled along the coast on Tuesday, providing additional moisture across the region, and keeping rain chances high through the remainder of the work week. Heavy rain was reported by a CoCoRaHS observer in Canadys, who reported 3.28 inches of rain, with most of the rain falling within an hour. A nearly stationary thunderstorm on Wednesday caused heavy rains, which produced flash flooding in low-lying areas of downtown Columbia and flooding intersections on the city’s south side. Heavy rain on Thursday occurred over parts of the Mount Pleasant area in Charleston County. Cloud cover during the first part of the period kept maximum temperatures between five and ten degrees below average values for the end of June. The National Weather Service station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport reached a high of 81 degrees on Wednesday, breaking the daily record for a low maximum temperature of 82 degrees in 1961.
On Friday, July 1, a low pressure developed along the stationary front off the South Carolina and Georgia coasts and tracked northeastward along the coast. Moisture streamed into portions of the Lowcountry, causing heavy rain across much of Charleston County. CoCoRaHS observers on Kiawah Island, James Island, Johns Island, and Sullivans Island reported rainfall totals ranging from four to seven inches. By early Saturday morning, the low moved over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and transitioned into a tropical cyclone, with sustained tropical-storm-force winds of 40 mph measured just off the coast of Charleston, SC. The National Hurricane Center declared it Tropical Storm Colin, the third system to form in the Atlantic during the 2022 Hurricane Season. As the storm’s center remained over land during its short life, Tropical Storm Warnings were issued for the North and South Carolina coasts and offshore waters. The storm was downgraded to a Tropical Depression late Saturday evening as it pushed through North Carolina.
With the remnants of Colin moving away from the region, the weather returned to the typical summer-time pattern on Sunday, with temperatures in the low 90s and scattered showers and thunderstorms. Storm spotters in Aiken County reported quarter-sized hail and estimated 60 mph wind gusts near Murphys Estates and Gloverville.
In geological news, two earthquakes over 3.5 in magnitude were recorded Wednesday, June 29, in the Elgin, SC area. The first occurred during the early afternoon and was felt across the Midlands, including Aiken and Charlotte, NC. The second happened during the evening, not too far from the epicenter of the afternoon earthquake, and it was mainly felt in the Midlands.
(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 | 1.04 | 19.87 | -4.3 |
| Greer Airport | 0.30 | 26.54 | 1.7 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.47 | 20.35 | -1.7 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 3.44/td> | 21.39 | -0.8 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 1.25s | 26.71s | 1.7 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.73 | 21.76 | -1.0 |
| Florence Airport | 2.48 | 19.37 | -1.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.69 | 18.93 | -1.1 | Charleston Air Force Base | 4.11 | 18.40 | -4.8 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.24 | 12.11 | -11.7 |
| *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: 80 degrees. Barnwell: 76 degrees. Mullins: 75 degrees.
Most of the state received beneficial rainfall during the period. However, some locations in and along the Interstate 85 corridor between Spartanburg and Charlotte, NC, reported less than a quarter of an inch of rain. Some isolated places in Richland County recorded between four and five inches of rain. CoCoRaHS observers in Charleston County reported between four and ten inches of rain over the seven days due to multiple thunderstorms earlier in the week and precipitation associated with Tropical Storm Colin. Despite the rainfall, abnormally dry conditions (D0), along with moderate (D1) and severe drought (D2) conditions, persist in South Carolina due to weeks of warm weather and below-normal precipitation.
Even with widespread rainfall totals over an inch falling across the state during the period, the 14-day streamflow averages at many of the gauges of the four main watersheds continued to report below normal thresholds. Even gauges within the normal percentile range in the Upstate were reported at or below 50% of their average flow. Half a dozen streamflow gauges recorded values below 10% of their average streamflow increased during the period. All the state’s rivers observed heights below the flood stage.
