The week started with an Arctic air mass moving into the state on Monday, January 21, as a high-pressure system centered over the Midwest funneled dry, cold air into the region. Morning temperatures across much of the state were well below freezing, and the National Weather Service (NWS) station at Caesars Head recorded a low of seven degrees. Despite the clear skies and ample sunshine, high temperatures at many locations struggled to reach the mid-40's in the Midlands, while some stations in the Upstate reported temperatures topping out in the upper-30's. On Tuesday morning, minimum temperatures were in the upper teens to mid-20's across much of the state, with low 30's observed near the coast. Many stations rebounded from the cold start to the day to reach the mid-40's, and some stations in the Lowcountry reached the 50's, including the NWS station at the Beaufort MCAS, which recorded a maximum temperature of 54 degrees. As the high pressure continued to drift east and moved off shore on Tuesday, moisture returned to the Palmetto State due to the southeasterly flow on the backside of the high. The first round of King Tides for 2019 occurred during the morning hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Charleston Harbor tidal gauge observed an astronomical high tide value of 7.13 ft. mean lower low water (MLLW) on Tuesday, and 7.21 ft. MLLW on Wednesday, which caused some minor saltwater flooding in low-lying areas.
The morning temperatures were slightly warmer on Wednesday, January 23, with most stations around the state reporting temperatures in the upper 20's to mid-40's. Another strong storm system started to approach the state, and as the warm front associated with the low-pressure lifted, the high temperatures rose into the upper 60's to low 70's. The temperature at the NWS station located at the Florence Regional Airport climbed from a low of 37 degrees to a high of 70 degrees for the day. Many locations in the Central Savannah River Area, Lowcountry and Pee Dee reported high temperatures near 70 degrees, before the cold front swept through the state beginning overnight on Wednesday. A line of strong storms pushed across the state, finally clearing the state by noon on Thursday, January 24. Wind gusts across the Lowcountry reached 45 mph, though the station at the Charleston International Airport reported a maximum wind gust of 56 mph. Seven CoCoRaHS observers in Aiken County measured more than 1.75 inches of rainfall from the event, with stations in Horry County reporting less than half an inch.
Behind the front, winds shifted back to the northwest on Friday, January 25, and morning temperatures across much of the state were in the upper 20's to low-30's. Cold air pushed into the state and the high temperatures at many locations topped out in the low 50's, even under mostly clear skies as a re-enforcing dry cold front moved through the region. The fair and quiet weather pattern continued through the weekend, and on Saturday, January 26, the morning lows were up to ten degrees below normal, ranging from above freezing along the beaches and barrier islands to the mid- to upper-20's across the remainder of the state. Maximum temperatures were closer to normal for this time of year, with highs across the state in the 50's. The dry high-pressure remained in control on Sunday, providing clear skies and seasonable temperatures for the region, ahead of the weather system that would impact the area early in the next work week.
(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 | 0.75 | 4.98 | 1.6 |
| Greer Airport | 0.59 | 5.48 | 2.2 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.34 | 4.60 | 1.6 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.10 | 2.97 | -0.1 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.50 | 3.57 | 0.2 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.88 | 4.31 | 0.9 |
| Florence Airport | 1.08 | 2.80 | 0.0 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.61 | 1.74 | -1.4 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.42 | 1.66 | -1.6 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.30 | 2.55 | -0.6 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 42 degrees. Columbia: 50 degrees. Barnwell: 43 degrees. Mullins: 44 degrees.
Another strong cold front that provided rain across the Palmetto State pushed through the area Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, providing the only significant rainfall event over the past seven days. Most of the state received at least a quarter of an inch of rain, though portions of the Midlands reported up to two inches from the frontal passage. The coastal areas of the Pee Dee have continued to miss most of the rainfall during January, and some locations are close to two inches below normal for this time of year. Since the rainfall was less than the previous events, and given the dry periods between events, despite many of the rivers across the state at full bank, only minor flooding issues have been reported. Overall, streamflow values for most of the rivers, creeks and streams across the Palmetto State returned to normal, though some 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): 54.0 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 54.0 degrees.
