The temperatures took another roller coaster ride during the week beginning on Monday, January 14. Cool and cloudy conditions set up behind the low-pressure system that moved out of the region on Sunday. The northerly flow helped push cooler air into the area setting up a cold air damming event that would persist across much of the state through mid-week. Low temperatures ranged from the upper 30's to around 40 degrees, and high temperatures did not climb much during the day. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Orangeburg Municipal Airport reported a low of 39 degrees and a high of 43 degrees, a diurnal temperature range of only four degrees. With the cold air damming in place, the weather conditions made it feel more like Seattle than South Carolina on in portions of the state on Tuesday. The increased moisture in the area produced drizzle and light mist across the Upstate and Midlands. Temperatures rose from the upper 30's to the mid and upper 40's, which were still ten degrees below normal for January.
Minimum temperatures were five to ten degrees below normal on Wednesday, January 16, which set up for an interesting weather event not often seen in the Palmetto State. The combination of clear skies, light winds and low-level moisture led to the development of fog in parts of the Upstate and Midlands and with temperatures below freezing, advisories were issued for freezing fog. In addition to creating slick and icy conditions on roadways, including the Interstates 77 and 20 corridors, visibilities were reduced to less than a quarter of a mile. On Wednesday, high pressure moved into the region and continued to erode the cold air damming that had set up across most of the state and high temperatures climbed to near 60 degrees. Another cool start Thursday, with temperatures in the mid- to upper-20's in the Midlands and Upstate to slightly above freezing near the coast, gave way to high temperatures in the low 60's under mostly sunny skies. A weak surface cold front and upper level disturbance pushed across the region late Thursday night and into Friday, and CoCoRaHS observers in Abbeville, Aiken, Oconee and Pickens counties reported up to a third of an inch of rain from the event. Fog formed early Friday morning and caused dangerous driving conditions in the Upstate, as visibility dropped to less than five miles for ten hours. Temperatures on Friday were near normal ahead of another strong low-pressure system that would create a huge swing in temperatures.
On Saturday, January 19, morning temperatures reported from the NWS stations were in the mid-40's, and fog, with visibility less than a mile, was reported in portions of the Lowcountry and Savannah River Valley. Low clouds kept temperatures from rising for much of the day, but as the warm front lifted across the state, temperatures rose rapidly in some locations. The temperature at the NWS station located at the Charleston International Airport rose 13 degrees over two hours, from 57 degrees at 10 a.m. to 70 degrees at noon, reaching a high of 73 for the day. Many locations in the Central Savannah River Area and Lowcountry reported high temperatures near 70 degrees, before the cold front swept through the state. Overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning, many stations at area airports measured wind gusts up to 35 mph, though some higher gusts, near 45 mph, were reported closer to the Charleston area. Behind the front, much colder air pushed into the region and many stations observed their high temperature for Sunday shortly after midnight. The NWS station at the Anderson County Airport measured a high temperature of 56 degrees at 1:00 a.m., and temperatures fell through the rest of the day. Gusty, northwesterly winds funneled the Arctic airmass into the Southeast, clearing skies, but making for a chilly viewing of the total lunar eclipse late Sunday night.
(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.)| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 1.30 | 4.13 | 1.7 |
| Greer Airport | 1.46 | 4.89 | 2.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.98 | 3.26 | 1.0 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.81 | 1.87 | -0.4 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.52 | 2.07 | -0.3 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.75 | 2.73 | 0.0 |
| Florence Airport | 0.64 | 1.72 | -0.4 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.24 | 1.13 | -1.1 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.77 | 1.24 | -1.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.70 | 1.25 | -1.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 41 degrees. Columbia: 51 degrees. Barnwell: 45 degrees. Mullins: 39 degrees.
A cold air damming event, followed by a strong cold front, produced rain over much of the state over the past seven days. Only a few locations in Georgetown and Horry counties reported less than half an inch of rain, while portions of the Upstate measured between two and three inches. Most of the rainfall occurred during the frontal passage between Saturday evening and early Sunday morning. Even parts of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) and the Lowcountry received between half an inch to an inch of rain and continued to be one of the drier parts of the state. The heavy rainfall on Saturday night caused rivers to rise in some of the watersheds across the state, with some moderate flooding along the Pee Dee and Santee rivers. Most of the rivers across the state were at the full bank, though the dry periods between the recent rain events kept flooding issues to a minimum. Rivers, creeks and streams across most of the Palmetto State continued to report streamflow values that were much above normal for this time of year.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 54.1 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 55.6 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 54.9 degrees.
