High pressure offshore provided another period of hot and humid conditions across the region during the first half of the period, with maximum temperatures across portions of the Midlands reported over 100 degrees. Some of the local National Weather Service offices issued heat advisories and excessive heat warnings, as the NWS station at the Charleston International Airport recorded a maximum heat index of 109 degrees on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, and heat indices reached 100 degrees at the NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport. Shower and thunderstorm chances increased through Wednesday as a trough set up over the eastern US. There were reports of minor storm-related wind damage across the state, though most of the reports came from locations mainly in the Midlands.
Thursday, July 18, was another hot day. Showers and thunderstorms developed late afternoon as a cold front slowly pushed through the Upstate and Midlands. A few storms produced strong winds, causing minor damage and downing trees in Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Laurens, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, Sumter, Union, and York counties. The front stalled over the Coastal Plain on Friday, increasing rain chances and helping trigger more widespread thunderstorms during the late afternoon and into Friday evening. Lightning strikes started structural fires in Beaufort, Jasper, and Pritchardville. Flash flooding was reported in Columbia, and an RC Winds station reported 3.30 inches of rain in 65 minutes.
Similar unsettled conditions lingered through the weekend, with the front stalled over the state. There was increased shower and thunderstorm activity, mainly in the afternoon and evening hours. Storms on Saturday caused strong winds in Colleton, Dorchester, and Jasper counties, and lightning strikes caused a structural fire near Harbor Town in Beaufort County. Some locally heavy rainfall resulted in localized flash flooding and rising river levels. On Sunday, flash flooding was reported in Dentsville and Earlewood Park in Richland County, where an RC Winds station near Cane Creek reported 3.70 inches of rain in an hour, with 0.55 inches of rain falling in five minutes.
(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 | 2.03 | 31.26 | 4.8 |
| Greer Airport | 0.80 | 30.91 | 3.3 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.85 | 27.38 | 2.2 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 2.52 | 26.87 | 1.6 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 1.70 | 22.37 | -6.1 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.68 | 25.82 | 0.5 |
| Florence Airport | 2.26 | 20.77 | -3.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 2.14 | 21.75 | -1.5 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.65 | 29.04 | 2.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 4.03 | 30.03 | 2.9 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: Not Available. Columbia: 81 degrees. Barnwell: 77 degrees. Mullins: 74 degrees.
Most of the state recorded at least half an inch of rain during the period; however, portions of the Midlands and Pee Dee regions reported widespread totals between two and five inches. Slow-moving and training storms caused isolated pockets of rainfall totals of over three inches in Anderson County, Lancaster, and York counties near the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. A CoCoRaHS observer in Edgefield County reported 7.06 inches of rain over four days, while another in Richland County reported 6.05 inches of rain from one event. The multiple weeks of above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation prompted the slight expansion of the moderate drought (D1) and severe drought (D2) conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor. The lack of soil moisture and below-normal streamflow kept extreme drought (D3) conditions lingering in much of the Pee Dee region. Any changes in the USDM drought designations because of the rainfall that fell in the latter half of the week will be reflected in the map released on Thursday, July 24.
Rainfall increased the 14-day average streamflow values at gauges across the state, especially in parts of the Upstate, including those in the Upper Savannah and Upper Santee watersheds. However, persistent drought conditions kept the 14-day average streamflow values at some gauges across the northern Midlands and Coastal Plain below average. A few gauges within the Pee Dee Watershed rose to near-normal values, but the Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry and the Black River at Kingstree continued to report values well below average for this time of year. River height and tide height gauges across the state remained below the action stage during the week.
