The typical summer pattern dominated the weather for the entire period, with overnight lows in the 70s, highs in the 90s, and scattered afternoon thunderstorms. On Monday, August 9, high pressure had settled over the area, funneling some additional moisture into the Southeast US. With the increased moisture and daytime heating, some thunderstorms were strong through the middle of the week. On Tuesday, a thunderstorm produced pea-sized hail near Aiken, and another caused damage near the Greer, Pacolet, and Pauline areas in Spartanburg County. There were also reports of up to ten funnel clouds and five waterspouts about twelve nautical miles offshore of Hilton Head during the late morning and early afternoon. Storms knocked over trees and caused minor wind damage in Anderson, Abbeville, and Cherokee counties, and a storm spotter reported a funnel cloud near Nixville in Hampton County on Wednesday.
Also on Monday, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory for the formation of Potential Tropical Cyclone Six (PTC6) near the Lesser Antilles. By late Tuesday evening, PTC6 strengthened into Tropical Storm Fred south of Puerto Rico. It continued to move to the west toward the Gulf of Mexico through the rest of the period.
By Thursday, August 12, the National Weather Service (NWS) station in downtown Charleston reported an overnight low of 83 degrees, which tied the daily record high minimum temperature set back in 1999. Southerly flow helped stream additional moisture into the region, helping fuel the development of additional showers and thunderstorms across the state. A weak front approached the area, increasing the coverage of showers and thunderstorms on Saturday. Intense storms in York County knocked down trees, even damaging houses in Pineville, Rock Hill, and Tega Cay. Heavy rain on Sunday in Charleston and Berkeley counties caused flooding in low-lying areas near Goose Creek and Hanahan. The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport reported a 24-hour rainfall of 4.08 inches, which broke the daily rainfall record of 3.41 inches set back in 1971.
Tropical Storm Fred started to approach the Florida Panhandle on Sunday and started to impact the Southeast at the beginning of the next period.
(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 | 0.67 | 26.76 | -2.6 |
| Greer Airport | 0.94 | 35.25 | 3.5 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.56 | 27.42 | -0.3 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.43 | 29.72 | 0.2 |
| Orangeburg Airport | Trace | 29.22M | 0.7M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.53 | 38.21 | 9.0 |
| Florence Airport | 0.19 | 31.12 | 2.3 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.00 | 36.14 | 8.4 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 4.08 | 38.97 | 6.5 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.46 | 30.46M | -1.2M |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 88 degrees. Columbia: 82 degrees. Barnwell: 77 degrees. Mullins: 74 degrees.
Most of the precipitation during the period fell north of the Fall Line. Many locations recorded between half an inch and an inch of rain and isolated pockets of higher amounts due to slow-moving thunderstorms. Less than half an inch fell across the Midlands and Pee Dee over the seven days, and some areas reported no rain and dry conditions. Elsewhere, portions of the coastal Lowcountry measured between two and three inches of rain, especially in the Charleston Metropolitan Area.
Even though little rain fell across parts of the Pee Dee, many rivers recorded streamflow values at or slightly above normal, including the Waccamaw River near Longs. Some gauges along the Edisto River continued to record above-normal streamflow values during the period. Gauges along the Savannah at Augusta and near Burton’s Ferry reported slightly above normal flows, while smaller tributaries in the Midlands reported slightly below normal flows. Most of the rivers in the state recorded heights at or below the flood stage during the period.
