SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

July 29 - August 4, 2002

WEATHER SUMMARY

Many sites started the week with the mercury climbing above the century mark. An isolated thunderstorm on Monday dropped heavy rains in Lexington County with high winds causing damage to light planes and the flight facilities at Columbia Airport. Afternoon storms on both Tuesday and Wednesday produced high winds and hail reports over the southern midlands. Over the weekend a low pressure circulation, positioned offshore and east of Myrtle Beach, help rotate showers inland for north coastal sites and lowering afternoon temperatures with northeast winds. For the period, the state average temperature was three degrees above normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The highest temperature reported was 105 at Johnston on July 30. The lowest temperature reported was 60 degrees at Johnston on the morning of August 2. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.73" at Orangeburg ending at 7:00 a.m. on August 1. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.5"

                     Precipitation
               Period    2002     Deviation*           Temperature
Location        Total   Total      From Avg.       Maximum    Minimum	
Greer            0.00   20.87         10.4B           96        69                       	              	
Columbia         2.03   22.90          7.6B          101        72
Florence         0.39   18.84          8.6B           99        70	        
Charleston       1.84   26.22          4.3B           98        71
N Myrtle Beach   1.14   17.32          8.3B           97        70
Augusta, Ga.     2.00   21.22          6.8B           99        68 
A=Above, B=Below                                                                                                                                                 
                                   

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the 24-hour period ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 89 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages are well below normal.
Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 85 degrees.