November started with drier air spreading into the area after weekend rain, as a cold front moved through the state on Monday and Tuesday. High pressure dominated the weather at the beginning of the period. Clear skies overnight led to temperatures dropping into the upper 30s to mid-40s across the state. With abundant sunshine, maximum temperatures rose into the 70s, slightly above normal for the beginning of November. Moisture increased across the region on Wednesday with a chance of scattered showers across the Upstate as a weak cold front crossed the area with a cooler airmass. Due to a weak offshore low, northerly winds produced temperatures that were much cooler than on Monday and Tuesday, with highs in the mid to upper 50s. On Thursday, high temperatures were up to twenty degrees colder than normal. Many locations across the state observed record low maximum temperatures, as highs struggled to get into the lower 50s, feeling more like January than November. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport measured a high of 45 degrees, breaking the previous daily low maximum temperature of 50 degrees, set back in 1984. Other major NWS stations that broke their record low maximum value included Columbia (52 degrees) and Florence (53 degrees). As the front stalled across the Gulf Coast, low pressure began to form along the old frontal boundary.
The main weather story of the period was the major coastal flooding and erosion due to the combined effects of the King Tide and a developing coastal storm. The low-pressure system that formed off the Georgia coast late on Friday produced gusty northeasterly winds, exacerbating the impacts of the high astronomical tides. In addition to the winds, the storm had rainfall totals between one and three inches along much of the coast, with isolated totals closer to five inches. The rain worsened the flooding impacts during the morning high tides. By Sunday, the storm was located off the North Carolina coast, and the skies gradually cleared throughout the day. However, the storm continued to impact the coast.
On Thursday morning, the morning high tide at the Charleston tidal gauge was 7.85 ft. mean lower low water (MLLW). This was the lowest of the high tides during the period. On Friday morning, the tidal gauge recorded 8.0 ft, and it reported 8.44 ft. MLLW on Saturday. On Sunday, the gauge measured 8.51 ft. MLLW. The value on Sunday was higher than forecasted and will be the tenth highest tide on record for the Charleston Harbor gauge. Numerous roads were inundated and impassable in downtown Charleston and various coastal communities across the Lowcountry. Homes and businesses were either cut off or flooded due to the rising tides. Further north along the coast, the Springmaid Pier reported moderate flooding with high tide values of 7.8 ft. MLLW (Thursday), 7.81 ft. MLLW (Friday), 8.29 ft. MLLW (Saturday), and 8.33 ft. MLLW (Sunday). There were reports of street flooding and water in some structures along the Grand Strand, including Cherry Grove, Garden City, and Murrells Inlet. Heavy beach and dune erosion were reported along all South Carolina beaches.
(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 | 0.16 | 42.62 | 3.5 |
| Greer Airport | 0.23 | 45.15 | 3.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.14 | 32.69 | -4.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.03 | 43.53 | 4.2 |
| Orangeburg Airport | Trace | 36.38M | --2.0M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.01 | 48.90 | 10.7 |
| Florence Airport | 0.25 | 38.70 | -1.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.05 | 42.13 | -0.7 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 1.14 | 55.28 | 8. |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 2.88 | 47.84M | 4.8M |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 52 degrees. Columbia: 59 degrees. Barnwell: 53 degrees. Mullins: 45 degrees.
The only appreciatable rainfall occurred at the end of the period, with areas west of the Interstate 95 corridor reporting less than half an inch. The rainfall totals were higher in eastern portions of the state due to the low pressure that moved along the South Carolina coast. Some locations in Beaufort County reported rainfall totals between two and five inches of rain. One CoCoRaHS observer in Bluffton recorded four inches of rain in 24 hours ending on Sunday morning. Areas around Charleston and the Grand Strand reported between one and two inches of rain. Even with the rain, the overall deficits continue to contribute to and worsen the abnormally dry conditions in the Piedmont and Pee Dee regions.
Even with the period's rainfall in the Pee Dee region, the weeks of limited rainfall caused some gauges to report below normal flows, especially along the streams and tributaries of the Great Pee Dee River. Areas that received rainfall over the weekend saw a slight improvement in streamflow values, but the flows were still on the lower end of normal for the beginning of November. Along the Wateree watersheds, streamflow continued to be below normal. Gauges across the ACE Basin and in the upper Broad and Santee watersheds continued to record normal streamflow values for this time of year. All of the rivers in the state recorded heights below the flood stage during the period.
