The week got off to a warm start with low temperatures on Monday, April 8, in the upper 50's to low 60's across much of the Palmetto State. These low temperatures were nearly 15 degrees warmer than normal, and the daytime high temperatures in much of the state reached the mid-70's to upper 80's. The National Weather Service (NWS) station located at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport reported a maximum temperature of 87 degrees and the station on the USC Columbia Campus hit 89 degrees. Even the NWS station in downtown Greenville climbed to 80 degrees. The combination of the daytime heating, an upper-level trough and surface front with sufficient moisture in place over the state prompted the development of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms were severe, with local storm reports coming in from the Upstate and Midlands. Reports of pea- to penny-sized hail came in from McCormick, Newberry and York counties. Wind gusts up to 50 mph were reported in Lexington and Richland counties, with damage from thunderstorm winds in Aiken, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenwood, Greenville, Laurens, Spartanburg and Union counties. The unsettled, warm weather continued on Tuesday, April 9, as morning temperatures started in the upper 50's to mid-60's, though high temperatures did not rise into the upper 80's. Thunderstorms developed as the weak low and frontal boundary slowly drifted toward the coast, lasting through late Tuesday night. Quarter-sized hail was reported near Westminster in Oconee County, and law enforcement officials in Jasper County reported multiple trees down on SC 170 near the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge.
By daybreak on Wednesday, April 10, the system had moved offshore, and high pressure began to return to the region. CoCoRaHS stations on Daufuskie Island and Hilton Head Island reported 24-hour rainfall totals up to 2.75 inches ending on Wednesday morning. Drier air and fair weather persisted through early Friday, as both minimum and maximum temperatures remained five to ten degrees above normal through the rest of the week under clear skies. Low temperatures ranged from the mid-50's to upper 60's, while high temperatures rose to the upper 70's to low 80's. By early Thursday evening, the mostly clear skies gave way to some cumulus clouds as moisture moved back into the region. The increased cloud cover and moisture helped keep minimum temperatures from dropping, and NWS stations across the state reported low temperatures in the mid to upper 60's, nearly 15 degrees above normal, on Friday morning. The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport observed a new record high minimum temperature of 68 degrees for the day, which replaced the previous record of 67 degrees set back in 2013. The warm temperatures, increased instability and a weak surface boundary provided the support for isolated showers and thunderstorms.
Patchy, dense fog was reported during the morning by many airport locations in the Upstate on Saturday, April 13, and the NWS station located at the Anderson County Airport measured visibility of less than a mile. The minimum temperatures were some of the warmest on record for the day at the NWS stations in Greenville-Spartanburg (63 degrees), Columbia (67 degrees) and Florence (68 degrees). Throughout the day, isolated thunderstorms formed the weak boundary, producing heavy rain and strong winds in localized areas. Multiple CoCoRaHS stations in the Rock Hill/York County reported 24-hour precipitation reports ending on Sunday morning of over 2.00 inches, with some reports as high as 3.50 inches. The minimum temperatures were again nearly 20 degrees warmer than normal, and the NWS station at the Charleston International Airport recorded a low of 70 degrees, the warmest low temperature for the day on record at the location. A strong cold front approached the state, prompting tornado watches to be issued for the entire state. The severe weather came in two rounds, one during the late afternoon and one that occurred overnight. The area of the most severe weather activity occurred in the Upstate. Wind damage was reported in Oconee, Pickens, Greenville and Anderson counties. Some rainfall amounts of over two inches occurred in Pickens and Oconee counties. In the Midlands, hail was observed in downtown Bethune (Kershaw County) from a tornado warned thunderstorm that moved through the area and wind damage occurred in Chesterfield County near Mount Croghan. Survey teams from the NWS Greenville-Spartanburg confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down near Simpsonville with maximum winds of 100 mph.
As the front exited the state, high pressure built back over the region, bringing dry conditions and cooler temperatures for the start of the new work week.
(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 | 1.64 | 15.91 | 2.3 |
| Greer Airport | 1.66 | 17.73 | 3.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 3.79 | 18.75 | 6.6 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.96 | 9.06 | -3.1 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.91 | 9.36 | -3.7 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.38 | 10.38 | -3.1 |
| Florence Airport | 0.96 | 10.12 | -0.6 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.30 | 7.94 | -4.6 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.66 | 5.60 | -6.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.95 | 7.34 | -4.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 60 degrees. Columbia: 67 degrees. Barnwell: 63 degrees. Mullins: 66 degrees.
The rainfall totals across the Palmetto State ranged from half an inch across portions of Horry County to five inches in the York County, with localized amounts of two to three inches in many counties across the state. With widespread rainfall totals of up to an inch, many of the rivers and streams in the Midlands and Pee Dee responded by rising again, with moderate flood stage reported along the Pee Dee near Pee Dee, and minor flood stage along the Congaree and Santee rivers. Much of the rain fell in the Piedmont and Upstate, where the year-to-date rainfall totals in the Upstate continued to be between four and eight inches above normal and streamflow values were much above normal in the area. Despite the rainfall during the week, streamflow values remained near normal along many rivers and streams in the Midlands and interior portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee. 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, and rainfall totals for portions of the coast are running close to a foot below normal.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 70.0 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 67.5 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): Not Available.
