The most recent King Tide event lasted through the weekend and into the beginning of the workweek. The tidal gauge at the Charleston Harbor reported a maximum of 7.93 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) on Monday morning and 7.49 ft on Tuesday morning. Some low-lying areas in Beaufort and Charleston counties reported sunny day saltwater flooding.
With high pressure aloft over the region throughout the week, the period was dominated by dry conditions and above normal temperatures. Morning temperatures on Monday, October 19, ranged from the upper 30s in the Upstate to the mid-40s near the coast. Despite the chilly start, under sunny skies temperatures rose into the upper 70s and low 80s across the state. Temperatures on Tuesday were similar, with high temperatures around five degrees above normal. The high pressure began to shift offshore by Wednesday, and low-level moisture started to move into the area. Overnight lows dropped only into the mid to upper 60s, and highs across the region were reported in the low to mid-80s. The combination of warm temperatures and increased moisture across the region, creating an environment for patchy, dense fog to develop in the Midlands.
On Thursday, October 22, the National Weather Service station at Caesars Head broke its morning record high minimum temperature with a report of 60 degrees, one degree higher than the previous record of 59 degrees set back in 1984. Another round of patchy, dense fog occurred on Friday morning. Visibilities in parts of the Midlands and Pee Dee dropped below a quarter of a mile. Temperatures continued to be warmer than normal, and the NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport tied the daily record high for the day of 81 degrees, established in 2007.
A cold front slowly approached the region late Saturday night into Sunday and provided the best rainfall chance over the period. A few stations near the Savannah River recorded rainfall on Saturday, but most of the rain came overnight. By Sunday morning, CoCoRaHS observers in Lyman reported over 2.35 inches of rain, and other observers in Abbeville, Greenville, and McCormick counties measured over two inches. Less than half an inch of rain fell elsewhere, but there were a few reports of over an inch recorded near Orangeburg.
(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 | 1.16 | 52.45 | 16.5 |
| Greer Airport | 2.33 | 63.73 | 25.0 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.38 | 47.33 | 12.7 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.15 | 49.34 | 11.2 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.28 | 35.79 | -4.3 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.11 | 51.21 | 14.3 |
| Florence Airport | 0.68 | 54.98 | 18.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.41 | 46.34 | 1.4 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.18 | 48.87 | 3.9 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.81 | 45.23 | 3.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 65 degrees. Columbia: 72 degrees. Barnwell: 68 degrees. Mullins: 59 degrees.
The period started with a dry and quiet weather pattern, with limited rainfall confined mainly to coastal portions of Beaufort, Charleston, and Georgetown counties. The main precipitation event occurred at the end of the period, resulting from a cold front that pushed through the region. CoCoRaHS observers in the Upstate recorded between one and two inches from the front, while the rest of the state received less than half an inch. Radar estimates show a band of higher rainfall amounts fell in Calhoun, Orangeburg, and Sumter counties. Despite the recent dryness, most of the year-to-date rainfall totals across the state continued to be above-normal values. However, annual rainfall totals in parts of the Central Savannah River Area, Lowcountry, and southern Midlands were slightly drier closer to normal.
With most of the rain falling in the Upstate during the end of the period, streamflow values rose above normal, with some of the gauges in the higher elevations near the state line reporting well above normal streamflow. Similarly, areas of the Pee Dee that received the heaviest rains saw an increase in their streamflow values. Throughout much of the week, the drier conditions allowed the streamflow values and stage heights to drop slowly.
