The period started with a dry cold front moving through the state on Monday, November 15. Morning low temperatures were in the mid-30s to low 40s, and some locations in the Midlands reported a light coating of frost on cars and grass. Maximum temperatures were near normal, with temperatures in the mid-60s. On Tuesday morning, high pressure built into the region behind the front, and temperatures dropped into the lower 30s. However, daytime temperatures rebounded into the low to mid-70s under sunny skies.
The high pressure shifted offshore by midweek, allowing for a warming trend on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Maximum temperatures across the state were between ten and fifteen degrees above normal for the middle of November, with highs reaching the upper 70s to low 80s. The National Weather Service (NWS) station located on the University of South Carolina campus in Columbia recorded a high temperature of 80 degrees on Thursday. Another cold front passed through the region late Thursday evening and overnight, triggering scattered light showers. Rainfall totals across the state were typically less than a tenth of an inch.
On Friday, cooler and drier weather returned to the region. Morning temperatures were in the mid-30s to mid-40s, and high temperatures were closer to normal, with values in the upper 50s and low 60s. Saturday was the coldest day of the entire period, as both high and low temperatures were up to ten degrees colder than normal. Minimum temperatures dropped below freezing in the Piedmont and Upstate, and maximum temperatures struggled to reach the mid-50s. Outside of the Upstate, morning temperatures were in the upper 30s, with highs in the upper 50s and low 60s. Temperatures were near normal on Sunday, ahead of another cold front that was forecasted to bring below normal temperatures to the Palmetto State for the next week.
(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 | 0.02 | 43.40 | 2.6 |
| Greer Airport | Trace | 45.96 | 2.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 33.24 | -5.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.00 | 43.64 | 3.0 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.00 | 36.38M | -3.3M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.00 | 49.06 | 9.7 |
| Florence Airport | 0.02 | 38.72 | -2.3 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.00 | 42.37 | -2.1 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.00 | 55.32 | 7.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | Trace | 47.89M | 3.7M |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 52 degrees. Columbia: 59 degrees. Barnwell: 51 degrees. Mullins: 44 degrees.
Most of the state recorded no measurable rainfall during the period though some areas in the Pee Dee and Upstate recorded less than a tenth of an inch. The only appreciable rainfall occurred when a cold front moved through the state on Thursday when an isolated storm produced up to an inch of rain in portions of Colleton County near Walterboro. The overall rainfall deficits during the Fall of 2021 continue across much of the state. The National Weather Service stations at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport and the Florence Regional Airport are on pace to record one of the top five driest Novembers on record. The Florence station could observe one of the driest September to November periods on its record since 1948.
The continued lack of rain in the northern Midlands and Pee Dee regions has exacerbated the moderate drought conditions, and many streamflow gauges are reporting below-normal flows. Some gauges along the streams and tributaries of the Great Pee Dee River were reporting well-below normal flows, including the gauge on the Little Pee Dee near Galivants Ferry and the two along the Lynches River. Across the ACE Basin and in the upper Broad and Santee watersheds, streams and rivers continued to record average streamflow values for this time of year. All of the rivers in the state recorded heights below the flood stage during the period.
