The period was marked by steadily rising temperatures and dry conditions giving way by the end of the week with the return of moisture across the region. With dry high pressure centered over the Southeast, temperatures on Monday and Tuesday mornings were up to ten degrees below normal, especially in the Upstate, where temperatures started in the upper 50s to low 60s. However, sunny skies allowed temperatures to warm up into the upper 80s to low 90s. Dense fog was reported across portions of the Midlands and Pee Dee on Tuesday morning, with visibilities reported of less than a quarter of a mile.
On Wednesday, August 28, the Bermuda High maintained control of the weather pattern, and maximum and minimum temperatures were five to ten degrees above normal. Southerly flow helped increase moisture across the region, leading to the return of pop-up afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. On Thursday, strong storms in the Upstate caused minor wind damage in Easley in Pickens County and near Verdery in Greenwood County. A slow-moving boundary moved through the region on Friday, increasing rain chances, especially in the northern Midlands and Pee Dee regions. Pea-sized hail fell in Indian Land, and flash flooding was reported in Fort Mill, where CoCoRaHS observers reported over four inches of rain from the storms that stalled over the area for three hours. The National Weather Service station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) broke record high temperatures on Wednesday and Friday with a maximum of 96 degrees, breaking the record of 94 degrees set in 2011 and 94 degrees in 1993, respectively.
Saturday, August 31, was the last day of meteorological and climatological summer, and weekend temperatures continued to be warmer than average, with highs in the mid-90s. Scattered storms developed late afternoon, and a severe thunderstorm moved through the Greenville area. The storm produced a 67-mph wind gust at the downtown Greenville station and a 55-mph wind gust at GSP. Multiple trees and numerous large limbs were brought down, including several on power lines, and the roof of a SCDOT storage building in Greer was blown off. Scattered showers and thunderstorms continued throughout most of Sunday as a cold front approached the area, and a flood advisory was issued for portions of Lancaster County due to heavy rains on Sunday evening.
(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 | 0.79 | 35.66 | 4.1 |
| Greer Airport | 0.75 | 37.06 | 3.0 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.04 | 36.50 | 6.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.00 | 39.70 | 7.8 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.01 | 36.54 | 0.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.02 | 32.91 | 1.4 |
| Florence Airport | 0.00 | 35.91 | 4.5 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.00 | 39.27 | 7.8 | Charleston Air Force Base | Trace | 44.30 | 9.5 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.05 | 42.76 | 9.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: Not Available. Columbia: 81 degrees. Barnwell: 78 degrees. Mullins: 73 degrees.
The period was mainly dry across much of the state, with higher rainfall amounts confined to portions of the Piedmont and Upstate, where up to two inches of rain were reported. Storms near the Charlotte Metropolitan Area on Friday produced heavy rain, and multiple CoCoRaHS observers in Fort Mill and Tega Cay reported between four and five inches of rain. Little to no rain was recorded along the Coastal Plain during the period. Due to the continued lack of beneficial rain in the Upstate, the abnormally dry (D0) conditions were expanded across the Upstate, and moderate drought conditions (D1) were introduced into parts of the Upper Savannah on the U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, August 29.
The 14-day average streamflow values at gauges across much of the state dropped, with only a few stations in the Coastal Plain still reporting values that were above average, such as the Edisto River at Givhans Ferry and Little Pee Dee River at Galivants Ferry. The heavy rain in the Fort Mill area caused streamflow to increase along the Wateree River and its tributaries. However, with the continued lack of rain and persistent drought conditions in portions of the Upper Savannah River Basin, the 14-day average streamflow values dropped further, with more gauges recording below-average flows, including multiple gauges in the Saluda River. River heights continued to fall slowly, with most falling below minor flood stages.
