| Observed Low | Normal Low | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Airport | 61 | 38 | 23 |
| Florence Airport | 66 | 35 | 31 |
| Greer Airport | 52 | 32 | 20 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 61 | 36 | 25 |
| York County Airport | 53 | 30 | 23 |
The weak cold front stalled across the Upstate and northern Georgia and remained in the region through Thursday. Light shower activity developed along and ahead of the front as it moved through the area during the afternoon on Tuesday. It produced nearly an inch of rainfall in portions of Aiken and Orangeburg counties and along parts of the Grand Strand. The above normal warmth continued across the Palmetto State through midweek, with mild overnight temperatures in the upper 40's to mid-50's and high temperatures in the mid- to upper-60's. As the frontal boundary became quasi-stationary across the coastal plain and Midlands, the rain became more prevalent across the area on Wednesday and into Thursday. On the morning of Thursday, January 3, the increased moisture and warm minimum temperatures caused another round of widespread dense fog with visibilities reduced to less than a quarter of a mile along the coast and Pee Dee Region, while locations in the Midlands and Upstate reported visibilities less than two miles. The rain continued into Friday, as a low-pressure system over central Mississippi moved to the northeast, and a stronger cold front swept through the area, pushing out the stalled frontal boundary. Periods of heavy rain in portions of the Piedmont and Upstate produced minor flooding issues due to the antecedent wet conditions from the previous month. The main band of rain associated with the front, with isolated thunderstorms, moved across the Midlands and pushed off the coast by late afternoon. Strong cold air advection behind the front during the evening and overnight into Saturday morning produced a wind gust of 41 mph at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, and wind gusts over 35 mph were recorded at the airport stations in Anderson, Charleston and North Myrtle Beach. The rainfall totals from the beginning of the period ranged from three to four inches in the Upstate to less than half an inch along portions of coastal Beaufort and Charleston counties.
A ridge of high pressure extended over the state on Saturday, January 5, bringing drier conditions and clear skies for the first time in 2019. CoCoRaHS station SC-OC-4 commented in their morning report that their location had already recorded 3.24 inches of rain in 2019, and the sun was a welcome sight after days of rain. Under the abundant sunshine, temperatures climbed to the low to mid 60's across the state, which while cooler than the previous days, were still five to ten degrees above normal. The low temperatures on Sunday morning were closer to normal, with reported minimum temperatures in the mid-30's to mid-40's, but the values were still above normal for the first of January. Maximum temperatures reached the upper 60's to low 70's degrees including a reported high of 70 degrees at the NWS station located at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, one degree below the record high for the Greer area of 71 degrees set in 1955
(Note: The highest and lowest official temperatures and highest precipitation totals provided below are based on observations from the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer network and the National Weather Service's Forecast Offices.)The highest temperature reported was 78 degrees at the Charleston International Airport on January 1 and at the Georgetown County Airport on January 2
The lowest temperature reported was 30 degrees at the station in Cedar Creek (Richland County) and Graniteville (Aiken County) on January 6.
The maximum 24-hour precipitation reported was 2.44 inches at the National Weather Service Station located in Table Rock on the morning of January 5.
The CoCoRaHS Station Tega Cay 0.5 NE (SC-YR-38) reported a 24-hour precipitation total of 2.35 inches, ending at 7:00 a.m. on January 5.
The state average precipitation for the seven-day period was 1.3 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 2.21 | 2.09 | 1.4 |
| Greer Airport | 2.77 | 2.43 | 1.7 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.62 | 1.46 | 0.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.73 | 0.70 | 0.0 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.39 | 1.39 | 0.6 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.51 | 1.49 | 0.8 |
| Florence Airport | 0.77 | 0.77 | 0.1 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.83 | 0.83 | 0.1 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.49 | 0.49 | -0.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.47 | 0.47 | -0.2 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
SOIL TEMPERATURES:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 54 degrees. Columbia: 56 degrees. Barnwell: 50 degrees. Mullins: 50 degrees.
RIVER STAGES:
During the first week of 2019, much of the state received at least half an inch of rain over the seven day-period, with isolated locations in the Upstate reporting close to three inches. Most of the rainfall occurred during the work week, and with the start of a new year, the yearly rainfall departures reset, though portions of Hampton and Jasper counties were still dealing with continued dryness. The rainfall from the multiple days of rainfall combined with above normal rainfall throughout December 2018, making rivers high across the state, with some minor and moderate flooding along portions of the major river systems, including the Congaree, Wateree, Savannah, Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee and Santee rivers. Many streams and rivers were running at full bank and continued to report streamflow values that were much above normal for this time of year.
COASTAL OCEAN TEMPERATURES:
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 59.0 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 58.6 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 57.7 degrees.
