WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2015

October 5 - October 11, 2015

WEATHER SUMMARY:

Overnight rains into Monday's 7:00 a.m. customary time of measurement totaled an even 10.00 inches in Myrtle Beach and 9.03 inches at nearby Crabtree Swamp. Periods of rain, sometimes heavy, fell through the day before tapering off during the evening hours. Running "event" rainfall totals had reached 21.49 inches for the Gills Creek gage, 19.81 inches at Shaw AFB in Sumter and an incredible 26.92 inches was measured by a Charleston NWS employee at Mt. Pleasant. The USGS gage on the Black River at Kingstree recorded an October 1-5 rainfall amount of 22.91 inches. On Tuesday, October 6, at 9:30 p.m., the Black River at Kingstree reached an all time record stage of 22.65 feet. Records began January 1, 1894. Travel within Williamsburg County required a boat. Classes at the USC Columbia campus were cancelled for the week due to utility failures, and the scheduled USC home football game at Williams-Brice Stadium for Saturday with LSU was held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Preliminary surveys indicated at least 18 dams had failed. On Wednesday, bright sunshine followed a sunrise temperature of 50 degrees at the Conway AP. The Greenville-Spartanburg AP and Florence Regional AP both warmed to 80 degrees. More warming sun on Thursday sent the temperature to 85 degrees at Clarks Hill, Marion and Myrtle Beach. High clouds moved over the state on Friday but not before Columbia and Charleston reached an afternoon high temperature of 85 degrees. A condensed version of the previous week's storm system sped through the state on Saturday morning with thunder and heavy rains for central and coastal counties. Richland County instruments at the MLK Park in Columbia's Five Points measured 3.07 inches. Flash flooding was observed in Lexington, Clarendon and Georgetown counties. A CoCoRaHS volunteer in Gilbert recorded 3.47 inches of rain. More roads were washed out in Swansea, Pelion, Gilbert and Red Bank. Marion's 2.32 inches, on top of its October 1-5 total of 8.83 inches, caused detours to traffic on busy Highway 501. The Columbia Metro airport's 1.47 inches on Saturday established a new October monthly rainfall record of 12.99 inches, besting the 12.09 inches of 1959. Sunday's cloudy and cool beginning improved during the day to an afternoon of mostly sunny, mild weather. Dillon's 80 degrees was the state's lone official site to warm to that temperature. Caesars Head Park staff noted the highest elevations were starting to show autumn's color. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was one degree above the long-term average.

The highest official temperature reported was 86 degrees at the Georgetown County AP on October 9. The lowest official temperature reported was 46 degrees at Cedar Creek on October 7. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.80 inches at Galivants Ferry ending at 7:00 a.m. on October 11. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 1.6 inches.

PRECIPITATION:

Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL:

4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 72 degrees, Charleston 75 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF:

South Carolina river stages were near normal or in flood. Charleston Harbor water temperature was not available. Springmaid Pier at Myrtle Beach reported a surf water temperature of 74 degrees.