SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

July 23 - 29, 2001

WEATHER SUMMARY

A low pressure center off the Florida coast in the northeast Gulf of Mexico influenced the weather over South Carolina from Monday through Wednesday. Southeast winds brought showers and thunderstorms inland to the midlands Monday and affected most of the state on Tuesday. As the low center moved westward along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday heavy showers and thunderstorms moved northeastward through Georgia and the South Carolina piedmont and foothills dumping from one to three inches of rain. The showers and thunderstorms declined somewhat on Thursday, but increased Friday as a cool front pushed southward through South Carolina. The front stalled along the South Carolina-Georgia border on Saturday and most of the significant rainfall occurred in the southern portion of the state. Cloudy skies kept the temperature over the states in the 70s and 80s on Saturday. On Sunday morning the front began moving northeast as a warm front. Statewide temperatures for the week averaged 1 degree below normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The highest temperature was 94 degrees at Jamestown on July 25, Orangeburg on July 26, and Allendale on July 27. The lowest temperature was 59 degrees at Union on the morning of July 23. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 3.85" at the Charleston International Airport on July 27. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 1.8".

     
                  Period    2001     Deviation*       Temperature
Location           Total   Total     From Avg.      Maximum   Minimum	
Greer               2.65   25.03         6.3B          86       67
Columbia            0.72   21.26         9.0B          91       70
Florence            2.72   22.97         3.8B          90       68
Charleston          6.09   30.55         0.0           90       72
N Myrtle Beach      2.27   25.06         3.3B          87       67
Augusta, Ga.        3.80   26.72	 1.4B          92       70
*A=Above, B=Below                                                                     

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the prior 24-hrs ending 7 am Monday through ending 7 am Sunday.

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 79 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were near to below normal.
Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 81 degrees.