A cold front that spawned severe weather across the state on Sunday, March 3, continued to move across the state on Monday, March 4. CoCoRaHS observers reported 24-hour rainfall totals over two inches in the Midlands on Monday morning, as rain continued to fall in portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at Ninety-Nine Islands in Cherokee County recorded 2.45 inches of rainfall over that 24-hour period. The low temperatures ranged from the upper 30's to mid-40's, though the more mountainous locations had temperatures below freezing. High temperatures were mainly in the 50's across the state, except for some 60-degree temperatures at locations closer to the coast. The cold front stalled just off the coast, and an area of low pressure developed along the front, causing light rain through Tuesday morning for portions of the state. The Arctic high pressure was centered over the Central Plains and ushered in a cold and dry air mass into the region. Minimum temperatures on Tuesday morning were five to 10 degrees below normal, with many stations reporting temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. Maximum temperatures on Tuesday were in the upper 40's to near 50 in many locations, as a re-enforcing cold front pushed across the state. The NWS station at the Beaufort MCAS recorded a high of 56 degrees, the warmest temperature in the state. With the threat of cold overnight temperatures, freeze warnings were issued for much of the Lowcountry, Midlands and Pee Dee.
Temperatures on the morning of Wednesday, March 6, dropped into the mid to upper 20's at the major NWS reporting stations, though many rural locations in the Upstate recorded lows in the upper teens to low 20's. The NWS station at Caesars Head observed a record low of 15 degrees, breaking the previous record of 16 degrees set back in 2001. Despite the relatively clear skies and ample sunshine, high temperatures across the Palmetto State were up to 15 degrees below normal. The NWS station at the Rock Hill-York County Airport reported a high temperature of 47 degrees, and the station in Andrew observed a new record low maximum temperature for the day of 40 degrees, which smashed the previous record of 54 degrees set back in 2010. The cold air mass continued to dominate the weather on Thursday, though it was beginning to slightly modify as the center of the high pressure shifted off the eastern seaboard. Minimum temperatures were below freezing across much of the area, including 29 degrees reported at both the NWS stations located at the Clemson-Oconee Airport and the North Myrtle Beach Airport. High temperatures reached the upper 50's to low 60's but were still five degrees below normal for this time of year.
On Friday, March 8, a weak backdoor cold front slowly moved across the region, and stalled over the Lowcountry. Morning low temperatures started in the lower to mid-40's across the state and did not climb much higher in the Upstate and Piedmont, where temperatures topped out in the lower 50's. Areas between the I-95 corridor to the coast observed increased moisture and warmer temperatures thanks to southeasterly winds. By Saturday, the center of the high pressure had shifted to off the Delmarva coast, setting up the scenario for a cold air damming event (wedge) across much of the Piedmont and Upstate. Daytime temperatures hovered in the upper 40's with fog and mist persistent throughout the day, and the NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport only reached a high of 45 degrees. Areas of dense fog were reported in much of the same region, with the station at the Anderson County Airport reporting visibilities of less than a mile and the Rock Hill-York County Airport had visibilities of less than a quarter of a mile. On the other side of the cold air damming, the temperature at the NWS station at the Charleston International Airport rose to 77 degrees.
The wedge eroded throughout the overnight hours and into the morning on Sunday, March 10. Low temperatures across the state started in the 50's and quickly rose ahead of the next cold front that would push through the Southeast during the evening hours. High temperatures were nearly 15 degrees above normal at many locations, including the Charleston International Airport, which reported a maximum temperature of 83 degrees. Stations that had been trapped under the wedge had dramatic swings in daytime temperatures. The NWS station at the Greenwood County Airport reported a high of 51 degrees on Saturday and a high of 72 degrees on Sunday.
(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 | 0.42 | 12.45 | 3.2 |
| Greer Airport | 0.87 | 14.37 | 5.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.67 | 13.03 | 5.0 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.79 | 6.36 | -2.1 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.34 | 5.84 | -3.1 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.05 | 7.11 | -2.2 |
| Florence Airport | 0.38 | 6.33 | -0.9 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.35 | 5.00 | -3.4 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.23 | 2.88 | -5.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.29 | 4.93 | -2.7 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 51 degrees. Columbia: 62 degrees. Barnwell: 55 degrees. Mullins: 60 degrees.
Rainfall totals across the Palmetto State for the previous seven days ranged from a tenth of an inch in portions of the Lowcountry and Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) to over two inches in parts of the Upstate. Above normal streamflow values continued to be reported for most of the rivers, creeks and streams in the northern portions of the state. Parts of the Pee Dee, Saluda and Wateree rivers remained at minor flood stage. Since the beginning of the year, locations in Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg counties have reported rainfall totals between four and twelve inches above normal, while the Midlands and interior portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions of the state are reporting slightly below normal to near normal rainfall. Streamflow values are close to normal flows for this time of year, though river systems in the Upstate are still reporting higher flows. Along the coast, portions of Charleston, Georgetown and Horry counties continue to miss out on rainfall and are up to six inches below normal since the beginning of the year.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 60.8 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 60.1 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): Not Available.
