On Monday, November 13, high pressure centered over the northeastern US controlled the weather, providing clear skies and dry conditions, with morning low temperatures in the mid-30s in the Upstate, to nearly 50 at the coast, and highs in the mid to upper 60s. The high pressure started to shift east on Tuesday, and temperatures were slightly warmer as daytime temperatures reached the upper 60s in the Upstate and nearly 70 degrees elsewhere across the state.
A low along the Gulf Coast and a stalled frontal boundary near the coast helped increase rain chances, especially in the Lowcountry, late Wednesday into Thursday morning. Cloud cover kept overnight lows in the upper 40s to low 50s on Wednesday morning, and high temperatures were up to five degrees cooler than normal, with many locations barely reaching the lower 60s. A few isolated showers developed on Thursday due to the low that moved across Florida and lingered offshore. Temperatures were warmer than normal, with highs reaching the mid-70s; the National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Charleston International Airport reported a maximum temperature of 77 degrees.
The system off the Florida coast lifted northward. It continued providing limited rain chances over the state's eastern half on Friday morning before drier conditions settled into the region. The warmer-than-normal temperature trend continued through Saturday with overnight lows in the upper 50s to mid-60s and highs in the mid-to-upper 70s, with a few locations observing maximum temperatures over 80 degrees ahead of an approaching cold front. By Sunday morning, the front had cleared the state and was well offshore. While temperatures on Sunday morning were still above average, in the upper 40s to low 50s, the daytime temperatures moderated to more seasonal temperatures, with highs in the mid-60s.
The Charleston Harbor Tidal Gauge recorded high astronomical tides ranging between 7.08 feet and 7.20 feet MLLW through most of the period. The higher tides caused shallow to moderate flooding in low-lying coastal areas.
(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 | 0.01 | 41.44 | 1.1 |
| Greer Airport | 0.04 | 46.19 | 2.6 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 37.46 | -1.6 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | Trace | 48.19 | 7.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.00 | 53.09 | 7.5 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.01 | 57.23 | 18.0 |
| Florence Airport | Trace | 41.51 | 0.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | Trace | 37.21 | -70 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.13 | 46.26 | -1.9 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.16 | 36.51 | -7.5 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 57 degrees. Columbia: 63 degrees. Barnwell: 57 degrees. Mullins: 57 degrees.
Rainfall was limited during the seven days, with only a few locations recording more than a tenth of an inch of rain. The US Drought Monitor (USDM) map released on November 16 showed the continued degradation of conditions across the state from insufficient rainfall. The spatial extent of severe drought (D2) conditions was expanded into the Upper Savannah River Basin, and extreme (D3) conditions expanded into Chester, Oconee, Pickens, Union, and York counties based on current precipitation deficits and other indicators, including soil moisture and streamflow. Rainfall from the previous period and some limited rain during this period led to some improvements in the abnormally dry (D0) conditions across the Midlands and the Pee Dee.
Due to the lack of precipitation, the 14-day average streamflow values showed decreased flows, as most of the gauges in the Broad, Catawba, Pee Dee, Saluda, and Upper Savannah river basins dropped to much below-normal values. While the river height gauges across the state reported levels below flood stage, tidal gauges reached minor heights due to astronomically high tides.
