Ample moisture and an unstable atmosphere ahead of an approached cold front contributed to a severe weather event on Monday, August 7. The Storm Prediction Center issued an enhanced severe weather outlook for the event. In total, there were over 130 storm reports across the state. Wind gusts up to 55 mph were reported as the line of severe thunderstorms pushed through the state, causing widespread wind damage from the Upstate to the coast. A few storms produced hail in Anderson, Lexington, and Richland counties. In addition to the severe weather, heat index values in the Lowcountry soared past 100 degrees, reaching 111 degrees at the National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Charleston International Airport, 114 degrees at the stations at the Allendale County Airport, the Charleston Executive Airport, and the Summerville Airport, and 117 degrees at the Mount Pleasant Airport.
The front moved into and through the state on Tuesday and Wednesday, with maximum temperatures slightly cooler (the mid-80s) in the Upstate on Tuesday, while low to mid-90s were reported elsewhere. Drier air moved into the region on Wednesday, providing a brief break between storm systems, and temperatures across much of the state were in the mid-80s to upper-80s.
On Thursday morning, the frontal boundary transitioned to a warm front and lifted back over the state, triggering strong to severe thunderstorms in parts of the Upstate. A weak cold front and upper-level disturbance moved into the state on Friday that helped develop afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. As the front dissipated, a typical summertime pattern returned over the weekend. Strong thunderstorms produced wind damage in portions of Greenville County on Saturday and up to two inches of rain in Charleston on Sunday. High pressure, with hot and humid conditions, built over the region, and the risk of excessive heat prompted another round of advisories and warnings as heat index values ranged between 105 -115 degrees across the state; heat continued into the new workweek.
(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 | 1.17 | 36.87 | 7.7 |
| Greer Airport | 1.24 | 42.04 | 10.5 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.19 | 31.40 | 4.0 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.32 | 37.42 | 8.2 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 1.93 | 40.67 | 8.0 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.40 | 41.49 | 12.6 |
| Florence Airport | 0.67 | 31.15 | 2.6 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.99 | 24.66 | -2.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.29 | 31.41 | -0.7 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.84 | 30.83 | -0.5 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 80 degrees. Columbia: 82 degrees. Barnwell: 77 degrees. Mullins: 75 degrees.
Most of the state recorded at least half an inch of rain during the period, with amounts over two inches measured in Greenville, Pickens, and Oconee counties. CoCoRaHS observers in Aiken, Beaufort, and Orangeburg counties recorded over an inch and a half from isolated storms throughout the period. Areas around Columbia and the Lowcountry reported less than an inch of rain. On the August 8 release of the US Drought Monitor, abnormally dry conditions (D0) improved in portions of Laurens and Newberry counties and across parts of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties in the Upstate. There was no change to the D0 conditions in Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster, and York counties in the northern Midlands.
Most streamflow gauges reported normal values, though a few in the Midlands were on the lower end of the normal range. Gauges in the Pee Dee River Basin continued to record values slightly below normal, including those along Black Creek, the Lynches River, and the Wateree River. The gauges in areas that received heavy rainfall in the Coastal Plain and Upstate recorded above-average values. The river height values remained below action and minor flood stage, and tidal gauges reported normal tides.
