On Monday, October 28, high pressure remained in place across the eastern US, keeping persistent cloud cover over the region. Morning temperatures were in the upper 40s to mid-50s and only warmed to the upper 60s across most of the state. A weak coastal trough off the coast shifted inland Tuesday afternoon, causing isolated showers across portions of the Coastal Plain. Most locations recorded a 24-hour rainfall of less than a tenth of an inch, though some locations in coastal Charleston and Colleton counties measured over half an inch.
Dry conditions and above-normal temperatures were the main story midweek despite another dry cold front moving through the region on Thursday and Friday. Maximum temperatures across the state were in the upper 70s to mid-80s, while overnight lows were in the upper 50s to mid-60s; temperatures were up to fifteen degrees above average for the end of October. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Beaufort MCAS tied the daily record maximum temperature of 87 degrees on Halloween, set in 1961. The lack of precipitation during the entire month caused monthly rainfall totals to rank in the top five driest Octobers on record at some stations across the state.
Temperatures remained above average on Friday and Saturday before a low-level wedge across the region led to cloudy conditions. Morning lows were still warmer than normal, with temperatures in the mid-60s, but most areas reported cooler high temperatures on Sunday afternoon, with maximum temperatures in the mid-60s to low-70s.
(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 | 46.13 | 7.5 |
| Greer Airport | Trace | 47.64 | 6.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 45.74 | 8.7 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | Trace | 45.72 | 6.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.00 | 41.03 | -2.9 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | Trace | 39.38 | 1.6 |
| Florence Airport | Trace | 43.47 | 4.0 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.02 | 43.88 | 1.5 | Charleston Air Force Base | Trace | 47.86 | 1.1 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.04 | 49.32 | 6.6 |
| *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: 71 degrees. Barnwell: 67 degrees. Mullins: Not Available.
Most of the state reported little to no rain during the period; however, some locations in the Coastal Plain record rainfall totaling less than a quarter of an inch of rain. Due to the continued lack of beneficial rainfall, abnormally dry (D0) conditions were expanded across most of the state, and the area of moderate drought (D1) conditions increased within the Coastal Plain, as reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, October 31.
With minimal measurable precipitation observed over previous periods, the 14-day average streamflow values at most of the gauges across the state's watersheds dropped but continued to report normal streamflow for this time of year. The only gauge still measuring above normal streamflow was at the Santee River at Pineville. River height and tidal gauges remained below the action stage across the state.
