The period was marked by a massive swing in temperatures, with colder than normal temperatures at the beginning of the week giving way to above normal temperatures for the holiday weekend. Conditions on Monday, December 20, were mainly dry and cool across the Palmetto State due to a high position to the region's north. Morning temperatures in the low to mid-30s rose slightly, and the day’s high temperatures were up to fifteen degrees below normal as they struggled to get out of the 40s. Light rain drifted north out of Georgia and started falling in the coastal Lowcountry late Monday evening. On Tuesday, a low-pressure moved from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic, bringing enough moisture into the region for the light rain to continue throughout the day as temperatures only reached the mid- to upper 40s.
Showers lingered in the Pee Dee on Wednesday morning as the low pulled away from the coast. Conditions cleared by mid-afternoon with sunny skies, and afternoon temperatures rose to slightly above normal values for the end of December, with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. High pressure built into the southern states on Thursday and dominated the weather pattern with dry conditions throughout the period. Under mostly clear skies, morning temperatures on Friday dropped into the upper 20s. However, southerly flow around the high pressure allowed warm air to move back into the state, producing warmer than normal temperatures, and highs reached the upper 60s.
On December 25, a low-pressure system passed to the north of the state, causing breezy conditions. The NWS stations at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, the Florence Regional Airport, and the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport recorded wind gusts up to 35 mph. High temperatures in some locations were up to twenty degrees above normal, making it one of the warmest Christmas Days on record. Maximum temperatures ranged from the upper 60s in the Upstate to the mid-70s near the coast. On Sunday morning, the NWS station at Long Creek in Oconee County reported a new daily record high minimum temperature of 56 degrees, shattering the previous record of 49 degrees set back in 1987. The abnormally warm temperatures resulted in many locations across the state to report high temperatures in the upper 70s.
(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 | 0.14 | 45.51 | -0.1 |
| Greer Airport | 0.09 | 48.02 | -0.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 35.42 | -7.6 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.05 | 46.95 | 2.4 |
| Orangeburg Airport | Trace | 36.91M | -6.2M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.30 | 53.65 | 10.2 |
| Florence Airport | 0.20 | 40.68 | -4.0 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.90 | 44.77 | -3.3 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.41 | 57.95 | 6.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.29 | 49.03M | 1.4M |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 53 degrees. Columbia: 58 degrees. Barnwell: 52 degrees. Mullins: 59 degrees.
Light rain fell across portions of the Palmetto State during the period, though most of the rainfall totals were limited to less than half an inch. Some CoCoRaHS observers in Georgetown and Horry counties recorded 24-hour values of over an inch ending on the morning of December 22. Except for parts of the Central Savannah River Area, many locations have reported less than 50 percent of their normal December rainfall. The rainfall did little to alleviate the United States Drought Monitor severe drought designation (D2) in areas near the Charlotte Metro Area and Pee Dee region.
The light rain kept the moderate drought and dry conditions from worsening but did little to improve streamflow values in the Pee Dee. Streamflow values continued to be below normal along the streams and tributaries of the Great Pee Dee and Wateree rivers. The gauges on the Little Pee Dee near Galivants Ferry, the Great Pee Dee at Pee Dee, and the Waccamaw near Longs recorded streamflows with less than 10% of normal values. All the rivers in the state recorded heights below the flood stage during the period.
