Cloud cover and rainy conditions helped keep maximum temperatures five to ten degrees cooler than average through most of the work week, with high temperatures only reaching the low to mid-80s. In locations where the sun managed to shine, maximum temperatures reached the upper 80s to low 90s.
On Monday, July 11, CoCoRaHS observers in the Charleston area reported 24-hour rainfall totals between five and eight inches due to a weak surface boundary near the coast. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Charleston International Airport recorded a high temperature of 80 degrees on Monday, breaking the previous record low maximum temperature of 81 degrees in 1972. Most of the state enjoyed a slight break in a rather wet pattern during the day before a cold front approached the area from the northwest on Tuesday. The stalled surface boundary near the Lowcountry helped develop additional thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon, and lightning caused a structural fire near Awendaw.
By the middle of the week, the wet pattern returned as a cold front slowly moved into the state, increasing the chances of showers and thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms reached severe limits, and a storm spotter reported a funnel cloud near Ruffin in Colleton County. An NWS storm survey determined that the damage in Colleton County resulted from straight-line winds, not a tornado. Strong thunderstorm winds also downed powerlines in Lake City. The unsettled weather continued Thursday as the front stalled across the state. Thunderstorms produced heavy rain, which caused flooding on roads across parts of the Lowcountry. Over three inches of rain was measured near Pritchardville in Beaufort County, and between five and seven inches of rain was reported in Dorchester County. The Charleston Harbor Tidal Gauge recorded high astronomical tides ranging between 7.03 feet and 7.50 feet MLLW starting Monday, lasting through Thursday evening. The King Tides caused shallow to moderate flooding to low-lying coastal areas.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed in the Lowcountry, Midlands, and Pee Dee regions over the weekend, while most of the Upstate remained dry. High temperatures climbed back into the low to mid-90s on Saturday and Sunday. Conditions were favorable for waterspouts off the South Carolina coast on Sunday morning.
(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 | 0.12 | 21.34 | -4.7 |
| Greer Airport | 0.46 | 30.54 | 3.6 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.37 | 22.84 | -0.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.08 | 23.83 | -0.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.56s | 32.54s | 4.8s |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.70 | 31.35 | 6.6 |
| Florence Airport | 0.32 | 23.08 | 0.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.00 | 23.15 | 0.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 1.87 | 24.87 | -1.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 5.73 | 12.84 | -8.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 81 degrees. Columbia: 84 degrees. Barnwell: Not Available. Mullins: 72 degrees.
Additional rains fell across the eastern half of the state during the period, with many locations reporting at least half an inch of rain. Some coastal Lowcountry observers recorded totals between two and four inches of rain, though some CoCoRaHS observers near Charleston reported totals between seven and eight inches. However, much of the state north and west of the Interstate 20 corridor measured between a tenth and half an inch of rain. The recent periods of rainfall helped improve the abnormally dry conditions (D0) and moderate conditions (D1) in parts of the Midlands, Pee Dee, and Upstate regions. All the severe drought (D2) conditions in the Lowcountry improved. However, D1 conditions persist in the area due to long-term below-normal precipitation values.
The continued rainy pattern across the state during the recent periods has helped increase the 14-day streamflow averages at many of the gauges of the four main watersheds. Streamflow returned to within the normal percentile range in the Midlands and Upstate, with some gauges reporting values much above average flow. Only a handful of streamflow gauges across the state continued to record values below their average streamflow during the period, with the gauge on the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry showing improvements but still reporting values below average. All the state’s rivers observed heights below the flood stage.
