SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

April 3-9, 2000

WEATHER SUMMARY

Warm, sunny weather was reported on Monday with low 80 degree afternoon high temperatures. Tuesday saw a cold front enter the state providing thundershowers across the upstate and much cooler conditions elsewhere. Frost was observed on Wednesday morning over rural sites in the midlands as minimum temperatures fell to near freezing or below. A rapid warmup replaced the cool air on Thursday and Friday with mid 80 degree high temperatures. Another cold front raced through the state on a windy Saturday. High winds were blamed on scattered reports of trees snapped or toppled. Sunny, blue skies returned for Sunday although afternoon temperatures just reached the mid 60 degree mark. Statewide temperatures for the period averaged one degree below normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The maximum observed temperature was 85 degrees at the State Climatology Office in downtown Columbia on April 7. The minimum observed temperature was 25 degrees at Blackville on the morning of April 5. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.85" at Anderson ending at 7:00 a.m. on April 4. Statewide average rainfall for the period was 0.3".

                       Precipitation
                 Period   2000   Deviation*                Temperature
Location         Total    Total  From Avg.             Maximum    Minimum
Greer             0.59     10.9    4.3B                   78         30
Columbia          0.29     14.3    0.3B                   83         34
Florence          0.43      8.9    2.9B                   83         38
Charleston        0.29     10.0    2.0B                   79         39
Myrtle Beach      0.47      8.9    3.2B                   75         41
Augusta, Ga.      0.18     10.6    3.6B                   83         32

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the prior 24-hrs ending 7 am Monday through ending 7 am Sunday

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 66 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF Most South Carolina rivers are near normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 63 degrees.