The heat and humidity from the previous period continued Monday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 4, with maximum temperatures reaching the mid to upper 90s and heat index values between 100 - 110 degrees. The combination of heat and an approaching front caused strong to severe thunderstorms to develop on Monday. Pea-sized hail was reported in Burnettown in Aiken Count, and thunderstorms produced minor wind damage in Cherokee and Spartanburg counties. On Tuesday, the cold front moved into the region, triggering severe thunderstorms across the state. In the Lowcountry, the National Weather Service (NWS) station at Beaufort MCAS recorded a wind gust of 58 mph, and thunderstorm wind damage was reported in Colleton and Berkeley counties. An automated rain gauge near Knightsville in Dorchester County recorded 2.62 inches of rain in less than an hour. Strong thunderstorms in the Upstate caused wind damage in Pickens County near Easley, Powdersville, and Welcome, and pea-sized hail was recorded near Walhalla in Oconee County. Thunderstorm winds knocked a tree down onto a house near Clio in Marlboro County, and a funnel cloud was observed near Galivants Ferry.
By Wednesday, the front slowed and stalled in the Midlands. Parts of the Upstate observed cooler than normal temperatures, with highs in the mid-80s. Elsewhere, temperatures moderated to more seasonable values, but the humid conditions persisted. Some afternoon and evening thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the Charleston area, and between three and four inches of rain was recorded on Daniel Island. The Charleston Harbor Tidal Gauge recorded an astronomical tide of 7.34 feet MLLW on Tuesday and Wednesday, causing shallow flooding in low-lying coastal areas.
Slightly drier air worked into the region, providing seasonable temperatures and limiting the chances of afternoon and evening showers on Thursday. Moisture returned on Friday as a surface trough moved through the state. Showers and thunderstorms developed during the evening, producing rainfall totals in Berkeley and Charleston counties of two to three inches. Some stations across the Charleston area recorded wind gusts up to 50 mph from thunderstorms. Additional storms developed in the Midlands, knocking a tree down on a car in the Oak Grove area of Lexington County; a storm spotter estimated wind gusts of 60 mph in Richland County. Another cold front approached the state on Saturday, causing strong storms in Orangeburg County, which produced wind gusts up to 45 mph, heavy rain in the Charleston area, and a waterspout offshore of North Myrtle Beach. A typical summertime pattern set up on Sunday as an upper-level trough moved through the region.
(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 | 0.06 | 32.07 | 7.1 |
| Greer Airport | 0.47 | 36.13 | 10.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.47 | 24.52 | 1.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 3.42 | 33.64 | 10.5 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 2.07M | 32.86M | 6.7M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.24 | 33.68 | 10.2 |
| Florence Airport | 0.82 | 22.18 | 0.0 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.95 | 19.06 | -2.0 | Charleston Air Force Base | 4.23 | 23.57 | -0.9 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.40 | 25.08 | 0.2 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 79 degrees. Columbia: 81 degrees. Barnwell: 76 degrees. Mullins: 73 degrees.
Most of the state recorded at least half an inch of rain during the period; however, some areas north of the Fall Line measured less than a quarter of an inch, especially portions of Abbeville, Anderson, and Laurens counties. Rainfall totals in the Upstate ranged mainly from half an inch to two inches in isolated parts of Pickens County. Across the Midlands, most locations received about an inch of rain, with isolated thunderstorms producing pockets of two to three inches of rain in Aiken, Calhoun, Orangeburg, and Sumter counties. More widespread areas of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee recorded over two inches of rain, with higher amounts. A few CoCoRaHS observers in Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, and Horry counties measured over six inches of rain during the period.
With the higher rain amounts falling in the south of the Fall Line, the streamflow at gauges across the Coastal Plain was above average, with the gauge on the Edisto River near Givhans recorded values much above average. Elsewhere, gauges continued to report normal streamflow, and 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.
