SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

December 19 - December 25, 2005

WEATHER SUMMARY

Sunny cold days and frosty mornings were observed during the week before the Christmas Holiday weekend. Wednesday, the first official day of Winter 2005-2006 began with minimum temperatures upstate in the teens. The following Thursday was the coldest day of the season with all sites except Charleston City reporting freezing temperatures. Winds shifted to a more southerly direction Saturday bringing clouds and milder conditions. Thundershowers developed early Christmas morning ahead of an approaching and eastward moving boundary. Locations near the coast recorded afternoon high temperatures close to 70 degrees. West to east clearing occurred during the afternoon and evening hours on Sunday. For the period, the state average temperature was four degrees below normal.

The highest official temperature reported was 71 degrees at Jamestown on December 25. The lowest official temperature reported was 15 degrees at Cedar Creek and Lake Bowen on the morning of December 22. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.04 inches at Fountain Inn on December 25. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.3 inches.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

                           
                            Precipitation                    
                       Weekly   Jan 1  Deviation     
                        Total   Total   From Avg
         Greer           0.47    52.8        msg
      Columbia           0.49    45.0        msg  
    Orangeburg           0.16    40.4        msg
 Charlotte, NC           0.56    41.4        msg	
   Augusta, GA           0.78    46.5        msg
      Florence           0.15    42.5        msg           
  Myrtle Beach           0.36    45.4        msg
    Charleston           0.08    46.0        msg      
  Savannah, GA           0.02    45.8        msg








Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.  

SOIL: 4-inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 50 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were near normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 50 degrees.