SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

February 9 - 15, 2004

WEATHER SUMMARY

Cloudy conditions with a few raindrops began the week. Colder weather arrived Tuesday morning with sub-freezing temperatures and overcast skies. Clouds remained over the state on Wednesday with a few rain showers reported east of the midlands to the central coast. Heavy rains started early Thursday morning making for a cold and dreary day. A push of mild air on Friday produced widespread fog before sunshine helped warm the air back to seasonal normals. A series of passing low pressure systems on both Saturday and Sunday caused rain to fall almost continuously into Sunday evening. One strong convective cell produced one inch hail in McCormick County. Several river stages rose to near or above flood stage. The average statewide temperature for the period was one degree below normal.

The state's highest reported temperature was 63 degrees at Beaufort on February 15. The lowest temperature was 19 degrees at Caesars Head on morning of February 10. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.95" at Lake Marion on February 15. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 2.0.”

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

                             Precipitation                 
                       Weekly   Jan 1  Deviation     
                        Total   Total   From Avg
         Greer           1.33    5.13       -1.5          
      Columbia           2.37    4.28       -2.4
   Augusta, GA           2.28    5.43       -1.2           
     *Florence           1.22    2.32       -3.3  
  Myrtle Beach           2.02    4.92       -0.5            
    Charleston           2.18    4.72       -1.0  
             
   *Equipment problems have made rainfall reports unreliable.


   
        

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the 24-hour period ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 46 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were at or above normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and
Savannah will average around 46 degrees.