Unseasonably warm weather was the story on Monday, November 18, as dry high pressure was centered over the region. Temperatures were up to ten degrees warmer than normal, and highs were in the mid-70s. On Monday, the Charleston Tidal Gauge reached 7.28 ft MLLW, and shallow saltwater flooded low-lying coastal areas.
Mild temperatures continued on Tuesday ahead of a strong cold front approaching the region. The highest temperatures were in the mid-60s under mostly cloudy skies. Rainy conditions persisted throughout the day, with scattered showers and thunderstorms lasting through Wednesday mid-morning. Behind the front, breezy conditions, with wind gusts of up to 30 to 40 mph were recorded on Wednesday night and Thursday. Colder and drier air settled into the region, and temperatures on Thursday morning were mid to upper 30s, with daytime highs the upper 50s to low 60s.
Freeze watches were issued for Friday morning for parts of the northern Midlands as chilly Canadian air filtered into the region. The National Weather Service station near Union recorded a low of 26 degrees, and the station in Chesterfield reported a low of 29 degrees. Elsewhere, morning temperatures dropped into the mid-to-upper-30s, and daytime highs only climbed into the low to mid-50s with breezy, northwest winds. Cool and dry conditions continued through the weekend, with a slight warming trend on Sunday that persisted into the beginning of the new work 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 | 0.34 | 48.14 | 7.0 |
| Greer Airport | 0.23 | 50.24 | 6.0 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.39 | 47.83 | 8.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.24 | 49.22 | 8.3 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.12 | 50.89 | 4.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 00.49 | 46.57 | 6.9 |
| Florence Airport | 0.10 | 44.86 | 3.9 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.13 | 44.71 | 0.1 | Charleston Air Force Base | Trace | 50.23 | 1.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.07 | 54.49 | 10.1 |
| *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: 58 degrees. Barnwell: 53 degrees. Mullins: 50 degrees.
Most of the recorded precipitation occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday when a low-pressure system and cold front moved through the area. The highest rainfall totals were mainly north and west of the Interstate 85 corridor, with most locations recording half an inch of rain, though some portions of the Upstate recorded up to 1.50 inches. Portions of the Midlands recorded up to half an inch of rainfall, while most of the Coastal Plain saw rainfall totals of less than a quarter of an inch.
The 14-day average streamflow values at most gauges across the ACE Basin and Lower Savannah River watershed continued to report above average; however, due to the lack of rainfall, values at a few gauges in the Upstate and headwaters of the Pee Dee, Santee, and Savannah basins started to drop to below normal values. A king tide cycle caused the tidal gauges to reach minor flood stage at the beginning of the week.
