A weak front over the Southeast contributed to heavy rain that fell overnight on Sunday and through the morning of Monday, July 24, along the coast. Many CoCoRaHS stations in Beaufort and Charleston counties reported 24-hour totals ending Monday morning of five to six inches. Low clouds lingered through mid-day, and temperatures on Monday were slightly below average, with maximum temperatures reaching the upper 80s to 90 degrees. The front slowly drifted to the east, and dry air filtered into the region on Tuesday, decreasing rain chances on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, a few isolated showers were observed across the state. Temperatures were near average values for the end of July, with overnight lows in the upper 60s in the Upstate to low 70s elsewhere and highs in the low to mid-90s.
High pressure built over the region, providing above-normal temperatures to locations in the Upstate. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Anderson Regional Airport recorded a maximum temperature of 98 degrees, which tied for the second-highest July 27 temperature at the location (also measured in 1949 and 1987). When combined with some moisture, which moved back into the region, heat index values across the state ranged from 100 to 105 degrees. An area of low pressure developed off the northeast Florida coast on Friday, creating onshore flow, which caused widespread cloud cover and increased moisture across the region. Widespread showers were observed across the Coastal Plain, and some thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and evening hours. Minor wind damage from storms was reported in Anderson County, especially near Easley, Liberty, and Powdersville.
On Saturday, the station at the Folly Beach pier reported a wind gust of 53 mph from a storm, and later that day, rip currents were reported along the shore, resulting in two water rescues. Due to expansive cloud cover and precipitation, temperatures in the Midlands were five to ten degrees cooler than normal. The maximum temperature at the NWS station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport was 86 degrees, while the high reached 90 degrees at the NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Thunderstorms caused wind damage in Anderson, Greenwood, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties Saturday evening and in Colleton and Hampton counties on Sunday.
(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 | 0.43 | 32.77 | 5.3 |
| Greer Airport | 0.12 | 39.30 | 10.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.02 | 29.14 | 3.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.06 | 35.79 | 8.9 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.36M | 36.59M | 6.5M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 3.30 | 39.90 | 13.3 |
| Florence Airport | 0.29 | 28.80 | 2.6 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.45 | 21.85 | -2.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 1.74 | 30.47 | 1.5 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.55 | 27.74 | -1.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 85 degrees. Columbia: 82 degrees. Barnwell: 76 degrees. Mullins: 74 degrees.
Most of the precipitation during the period fell south and east of the Interstate 20 corridor, with this region recording at least half an inch of rain, with locally higher amounts. Many coastal locations measured between two and three inches of rain, and up to five inches of rain was reported in portions of Aiken and Barnwell counties. Elsewhere, rainfall totals were less than a quarter of an inch outside areas that experienced isolated thunderstorms. With the continued lack of beneficial rain, abnormally dry conditions (D0) were introduced into portions of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties in the Upstate and Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster, and York counties in the northern Midlands.
While rain was sparse across the Upstate, most gauges reported streamflow values within the normal range. Only a few stream flow gauges in the state recorded values below normal, with most of those gauges along Black Creek in Chesterfield and Darlington counties and on the Lynches River in Kershaw County. The gauges in areas that received heavy rainfall, mainly those across the Coastal Plain, recorded above-average values. The river height values remained below action and minor flood stages.
