The week started with a high-pressure centered over the Ohio Valley, bringing colder than normal temperatures into the region. Morning low temperatures on Monday, April 1, were up to ten degrees below normal, with stations reporting minimum temperatures in the mid-30’s to low 40s across much of the state. The cold air damming like patter combined with clouds to keep daytime temperatures in the upper 50s to mid-60s, close to 15 degrees below normal.
What many people thought to be an April Fool’s joke turned out to be a surprise when an intense low-pressure system combined with cool temperatures to produce wintry precipitation in the Palmetto State. Before the storm system raced to the Northeast, it caused a burst of snow over parts of the northern Midlands, Piedmont and Upstate during the morning of April 2. Snow accumulations between a tenth of an inch up to an inch were reported at the National Weather Service stations in Chester (0.20 inch) and Catawba (an inch). The snow accumulated mainly on grassy and elevated surfaces and melted by midday. High temperatures across much the state were in the 50s, up to 20 degrees below normal at many locations. New record low maximum temperatures were set at the Florence (48 degrees), Charleston (56 degrees) and Columbia (53 degrees).
The tight pressure gradient between the low-pressure system and high pressure to the west produced strong winds and the offshore buoys reported gusts up to 45 mph near the Charleston area. Somewhat beneficial rainfall fell in areas of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee, with some locations picking up at least half an inch of rain. The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport recorded a 24-hour rainfall total ending at midnight of 1.09 inches, the highest daily rainfall total measured at the location so far this year.
The 24-hour rainfall totals ending the morning of Wednesday, April 3, were also the highest daily totals for 2019 reported from NWS stations in Monck Corner, Jamestown, Myrtle Beach, Lake City and Marion. Lows temperatures on Wednesday were in the 30’s across the state, with near freezing temperatures in the Upstate, Midlands and interior portions of the Pee Dee. After two days of well below normal high temperatures, many stations reported maximum temperatures in the low 70’s. The NWS station at the Rock Hill/York County Airport went from reporting snow on Tuesday morning to a high of 70 degrees on Wednesday. Despite the cool start on Thursday morning, with temperatures in the low to mid 40’s, the warming trend and dry conditions continued through the afternoon, and high temperatures climbed to the mid and upper 70’s. A warm front approached the region late Thursday night, creating widespread showers across the state that lasted through Friday afternoon. The cloud cover kept overnight temperatures warm, lows in the 50’s, and daytime temperatures on Friday in the mid-60s. Portions of the Upstate, Piedmont and Pee Dee picked up close to an inch of rain from the showers.
After the morning patchy dense fog burned off on Saturday, April 6, some drier air began to build back across the region. Some isolated showers and thunderstorms developed over portions of Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties, though the storms did not produce any significant rainfall. Temperatures climbed out of the low to mid-50’s to reach the mid-70’s across much of the state. Another warm front lifted over the state on Sunday, ahead of the next low-pressure system that would approach the region early next week, creating another couple of days of active weather. Low temperatures were reported in the mid-50s to near 60 degrees, and the temperature rose into the upper 70’s across the state, with a few stations in the Midlands reporting 80 degrees.
(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 | 1.05 | 14.27 | 1.4 |
| Greer Airport | 0.95 | 16.07 | 3.0 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.29 | 14.96 | 3.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.60 | 8.10 | -3.5 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 2.21 | 8.45 | -3.9 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.23 | 9.00 | -3.8 |
| Florence Airport | 2.12 | 9.16 | -1.0 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 2.38 | 7.64 | -4.2 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 1.89 | 4.94 | -6.1 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.25 | 5.39 | -5.6 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 63 degrees. Columbia: 66 degrees. Barnwell: 59 degrees. Mullins: 65 degrees.
The rainfall totals across the Palmetto State ranged from half an inch across much of the Upstate to three inches in the Pee Dee, with locally heavier amounts in Darlington and Florence counties. With most of the rain falling in the Pee Dee Watershed, many of the rivers and streams responded by rising again, with moderate flood stage reported along the Pee Dee near Pee Dee, and minor flood stage along the Little Pee Dee and Lynches rivers. Much of the rain fell in areas that had deficits in the year-to-date rainfall totals but did little to ease the dry conditions reported in the area. Portions of the coast are running close to a foot below normal, while other areas of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee are four to eight inches of rain below normal for the year, having received less than five inches of rain since January 1. The year-to-date rainfall totals in the Upstate continued to be between four and eight inches above normal, though the areal extent of the above-normal rainfall shrank due to the drier conditions. Streamflow values remained near normal along many rivers and streams in the Midlands and interior portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee. The same area of the state has measured five to ten inches of rainfall so far in 2019.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 63.5 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 64.0 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 63.1 degrees.
