On Monday, November 11, a weak cold front moved through the state, causing a few showers in portions of the Midlands and Pee Dee. Temperatures were still above average to start the period, with maximum temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. Cooler and drier air spread into the region behind a reinforcing cold front that passed through on Tuesday and lingered through Wednesday.
Surface high pressure north of the region produced cold air damming conditions that combined with a passing low-pressure system to produce unsettled weather and widespread showers across the state on Thursday. High temperatures were nearly fifteen degrees below normal in the Midlands and Upstate, including 49 degrees at the National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and 55 degrees at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. However, The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport recorded a high of 73 degrees on Thursday afternoon.
Conditions became cooler and drier as the low-pressure system departed the region late Thursday into Friday morning. High pressure settled into the area on Saturday, and the weather was quiet for the remainder of the period. Low temperatures were in the mid-40s, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s on Saturday and Sunday.
The tidal levels at the Charleston Harbor gauge ranged between 7.40 and 8.25 feet MLLW starting on Wednesday and lasting through Sunday, causing moderate to major saltwater flooding in low-lying coastal areas. Officials with the City of Charleston reported that multiple streets downtown were closed due to flooding. The tidal gauge reached 8.08 ft MLLW on Thursday morning and 8.25 ft MLLW on Saturday morning, the highest value since September 27.
(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 | 1.20 | 47.80 | 7.5 |
| Greer Airport | 1.31 | 50.01 | 6.7 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.97 | 47.44 | 8.9 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.63 | 48.98 | 8.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.71 | 50.77 | 5.4 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.21 | 46.11 | 7.1 |
| Florence Airport | 0.74 | 44.86 | 4.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.72 | 44.71 | 0.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.54 | 50.23 | 2.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.14 | 54.42 | 10.6 |
| *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: 63 degrees. Barnwell: 57 degrees. Mullins: 53 degrees.
Scattered rain occurred during the period, with the most widespread rain event on Thursday as a low-pressure system moved through the area. The highest rainfall totals were mainly north and west of the Interstate corridor, with most locations recording half an inch of rain, though some portions of the Upstate recorded between 1.50 and 2.00 inches. Most of the Pee Dee region recorded at least half an inch of rain, with coastal Horry County reporting closer to an inch, and much of the Lowcountry saw rainfall totals of less than half an inch.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday, November 12, reflected the changes in the drought designations from rainfall during the latter half of the previous period. Areas that received 4 to 13 inches saw either a one- or two-category improvement, and some abnormally dry (D0) and moderate drought conditions (D1) were removed from portions of the Central Savannah River Area and Lowcountry. However, D1 was added in Oconee County and expanded from Horry County into northern parts of Dillon and Marlboro counties.
The 14-day average streamflow values at most gauges across the ACE Basin and Lower Savannah River watershed continued to report values much above average due to rainfall from the heavy rain event during the previous period. In response to the observed heavy rain, the Edisto River near Givhans Ferry reported a preliminary crest of 14.70 feet, lower than the crest from Debby in August, and the water levels at Four Hole Swamp rose from 6.52 feet on Monday to 11.48 ft on Thursday. By the end of the period, river heights at gauges in the lower portions of the watersheds were slowly starting to drop. A king tide cycle caused the tidal gauges to reach moderate to major flood stage beginning on Wednesday and lasting through Sunday.
