WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2012
December 17 - December 23, 2012
WEATHER SUMMARY:
Rainy weather was observed on Monday with several locations measuring over one inch of rain. Winds at the Hilton Head AP gusted to 51 mph. Slow clearing arrived on Tuesday. At 3:00 p.m., the Orangeburg AP reported west winds of 21 mph, gusting to 28 mph. Wednesday began with patchy frost for inland sites. Ninety Nine Islands reported 28 degrees and Walterboro came in with 33 degrees. A sunny Hardeeville was the state's warmest location on Wednesday afternoon with 73 degrees. The Conway and Kingstree local airports noted Thursday afternoon high temperatures of 72 degrees. During the evening and overnight hours, a strong cold front roared through Upstate South Carolina and eastward. At 9:40 p.m., instruments atop the Lake Thurmond Dam measured wind gusts to 52 mph. The Columbia AP recorded west winds gusting to 51 mph. The Richland County Emergency Services, using newly-placed sensors at the University of South Carolina Williams-Brice Stadium, recorded a peak wind of 57 mph. Some power interruptions occurred due to downed limbs. The Jocassee Dam gage measured a 24-hour rainfall total of 1.54 inches. Friday, the first official day of winter, lived up to the date with biting winds and daytime temperatures for most of the state holding in the upper 40's. Edisto Beach reported the day's highest value with just 54 degrees. On Saturday at 2:00 p.m., the Columbia Metro AP reported clear skies, 58 degrees and a relative humidity value of only 13 percent. The Sunday morning low temperature of 30 degrees at the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station was their first freeze of the season. The Sunday high temperature at Sandhill and Summerville reached a seasonal 58 degrees. The state average temperature for the period was five degrees above normal.
The highest official temperature reported was 75 degrees at the Charleston AP on December 20. The lowest official temperature reported was 20 degrees at Cedar Creek on December 23. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.72 inches at Long Creek ending at 7:00 a.m. on December 21. The state average rainfall for the period was 0.9 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Total Total from Avg
Greer AP 1.25 35.37 -10.8
Anderson AP 1.10 36.51 -6.6
Columbia Metro AP 0.63 40.79 -2.9
Orangeburg AP 1.04 40.15 -5.8
Charlotte, NC AP 0.85 31.31 -9.5
Augusta, GA Bush AP 1.02 33.22 -9.4
Florence AP 0.99 39.81 -2.3
N Myrtle Beach AP 0.59 36.88 -14.4
Charleston AP 0.66 41.74 -8.4
Savannah, GA AP 0.43 39.19 -8.0
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 52 degrees, Charleston 54 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 53 degrees.
