SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

March 15 - 21, 2004


WEATHER SUMMARY

The last week of Winter ended on a mild note with daily temperatures climbing into the 70's. Isolated light showers were observed on both Monday and Tuesday but amounts did little to help the prior weeks of nearly dry weather. A modified cold front dropped into the state early Wednesday with several sites reporting minimum temperatures in the 30's. Warmer conditions quickly followed with Friday's afternoon high temperatures rising above 80 degrees at many locations. Flowering has accelerated along with higher counts of pine pollen. Spring officially began on Saturday and did not disappoint with mid-70 degree, sunny weather. A wave of showers, some with thunder,passed west to east across the state late Saturday night. Sunday ended the period with bright, sunny skies and an approaching late season cold front. The average statewide temperature for the period was 3 degrees above normal.

The state's highest reported temperature was 85 degrees at Givhans on March 19. The lowest temperature reported was 33 degrees at Chester and Salem on the morning of March 18. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 0.62 at Hemingway ending at 7:00 a.m. on March 17. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.2”

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

                             Precipitation                 
                       Weekly   Jan 1  Deviation     
                        Total   Total   From Avg
         Greer           0.36    6.37       -6.0            
      Columbia           0.40    6.40       -5.3
   Augusta, GA           0.59    8.34       -3.5           
     *Florence           0.10    4.77       -5.1   
  Myrtle Beach           0.29    8.16       -1.7            
    Charleston           0.08    6.21       -3.7  
             
   *Equipment problems have made rainfall reports unreliable.

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 60 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were below normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and
Savannah will average around 57 degrees.


sco@water.dnr.state.sc.us
http://water.dnr.state.sc.us/climate/sco/weekly/wk032104.html