^M  
     On both Monday and Tuesday a nearly stationary boundary separated the coastal counties with cloudiness and thunderstorms
from upstate counties with mostly sunny skies.  Thunderstorms developed late in the day on Wednesday in advance of an
approaching front and caused wind damage across the central midlands.  Scattered thunderstorms again on Thursday evening over
produced heavy rain totals across the upstate.  The weekend began under slowly clearing skies.  High pressure, ridging southward
from New England, provided cool mornings and dry, warm afternoons on Saturday and Sunday.  Statewide temperatures for the
period averaged from near normal upstate to 2 degrees below normal along the coast.  

     The maximum observed temperature was 97 degrees on July 7 at Johnston and Blackville.  The minimum observed temperature was 
52 degrees in Calhoun Falls on the morning of July 12.  The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall was recorded at Woodruff with 3.53"
ending at 7:00 a.m. on July 11.  Statewide rainfall for the period averaged 0.7 inches.

               Precipitation
               Period     1997       Deviation*       Temperature
Location       Total      Total      From Avg.       Maximum Minimum   
Greer          2.19        29.3      0.3A               91     65
Charlotte, NC  0.00        23.7      0.2A               93     66
Columbia       0.36        21.6      5.8B               94     65            
Florence FAA   0.00        22.3      1.6B               94     64   
Blackville     1.80        26.7      0.1A               97     65
Augusta, GA    1.18        20.7      5.2B               91     64
Beaufort       0.54        23.4      3.3B               92     69 
Charleston     2.33        33.1      6.0A               91     64
Myrtle Beach   0.00        25.5      1.5B               90     65
*A=Above, B=Below                                                                       
                                   
Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the prior 24-hrs ending 7 am Monday through ending 7 am Sunday

                Degree Days      
                  Actual  
               July 1-13
             Cooling   Heating              
Columbia      209        0
Charleston    201        0
Greenville    172        0           
                                                                                            
     Temperatures are expected to average near normal for the week.  Rainfall is expected to be near normal.
     The Sandhill Experiment Station in north Columbia reports an average 4-inch depth soil temperature of 88 degrees.