The period was quiet, with dry air and high pressure dominating the weather pattern. On Monday, September 27, a high-pressure had settled into the Southeast, and morning temperatures were rather brisk, with values in the low to mid-50s. Under clear skies, temperatures rebounded into the low to mid-80s, slightly above normal for the end of September. Conditions on Tuesday were similar to Monday, though the morning temperatures were not nearly as cool, with minimum temperatures only dropping into the upper 50s to low 60s. Daytime temperatures started to warm on Tuesday, reaching the upper 80s to low 90s and stayed above normal through the remainder of the period.
On Wednesday, a weak backdoor cold front started to approach the state as the dry and warm conditions continued through midweek. The front pushed through the state by mid-afternoon on Thursday, bringing an additional shot of dry air into the region, causing dewpoint temperatures to fall slightly and bringing a light breeze. A weak surface trough developed near the Central Savannah River Area on Friday morning. It quickly dissipated but triggered isolated showers and thunderstorms along portions of the Grand Strand and coastal Lowcountry. Temperatures on Friday were near normal in the Upstate and slightly warmer than normal elsewhere.
The weekend had more dry and fair weather, with morning lows in the 60s and afternoon temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s. By Sunday, the surface-high pressure started to move offshore, allowing moisture to return into the region. There were multiple reports of funnel clouds and a waterspout off of Folly Beach and Kiawah Island late that morning and early that afternoon.
(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 | 0.04 | 33.17 | -2.4 |
| Greer Airport | 0.03 | 40.35 | 2.3 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 31.40 | -2.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.00 | 42.02 | 6.0 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.00 | 35.59M | 0.3M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.00 | 47.50 | 12.2 |
| Florence Airport | 0.00 | 37.65 | 1.4 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.01 | 40.25 | 1.9 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.08 | 50.12 | 7.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.00 | 42.32M | 3.0M |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 74 degrees. Columbia: 75 degrees. Barnwell: 69 degrees. Mullins: 64 degrees.
Dry conditions dominated the weather pattern across most of the state, and many locations did not record any precipitation over the seven days. Only a few areas received measurable rainfall, they include portions of the Grand Strand and Beaufort and Charleston counties. Scattered thunderstorms during the weekend contributed to the observed rain in these regions. However, totals mainly ranged from a tenth of an inch to half an inch. A few CoCoRaHS observers recorded values over an inch, but they were from isolated thunderstorms. The lack of rain exacerbated some of the abnormally dry conditions across the Palmetto State.
During the period, most of the streamflow gauges across the state reported values near normal. Gauges along the streams and tributaries of the Edisto River and the Central Savannah River Area continued to measure slightly above normal flows, where some of the higher rainfall totals were observed from the previous period. The dry period contributed to a drop in streamflow along portions of the Lower Santee River. Most of the rivers in the state recorded heights below the flood stage during the period.
