Low pressure west of the state produced overcast conditions and light rain during the morning of April 9. North Myrtle Beach reported receiving 0.47 inches of rain while Charleston reported only 0.16 inches. The morning low temperature was 32 degrees at Jocassee and the stubborn overcast prevented Orangeburg from warming above 62 degrees. High pressure built in from the west on April 10. Cedar Creek began the day with a low temperature of 38 degrees and the USC COOP observer in Columbia reported an afternoon high temperature of 70 degrees.
High pressure dominated the remaining week's weather until Sunday, April 15. On Wednesday, April 11, Columbia and Greer began the day with a low temperature of 46 degrees. Orangeburg warmed to 75 degrees. Pleasant spring weather continued again on April 12. Sandy Springs, Walhalla and Ninety Nine Islands reported a morning low temperature of 37 degrees. Santuck reached an afternoon high of 77 degrees. Warming continued on April 13 with USC reaching 84 degrees. Sandy Springs began the weekend with a morning low temperature of 42 degrees on April 14. Sunny skies and a warm, brisk southwest wind helped Columbia and Florence warm to 85 degrees.
On April 15, a sprawling, deepening low pressure system threatened the state with a strong cold front and a squally, pre-frontal trough. Before the frontal passage, Clemson and Greenwood reported a morning low temperature of 47 degrees. The Charleston Airport reached 82 degrees. The pre-frontal trough produced numerous strong thunderstorms, periods of blinding torrential rain and strong wind gusts as it thundered across the state. Columbia Metro Airport observed a 74 mph wind gust at 2:24 PM. Sustained winds reached 33 mph. The Charleston Airport reported 36 mph winds gusting to 50 mph later that afternoon during a strong thunderstorm. Strong thunderstorm cells in the trough produced five tornadoes (table below). The five tornadoes and straight-line wind gusts uprooted numerous trees, damaged structures and vehicles, and knocked out power to 50,000 SCE&G customers. Florence reported a rainfall total of 2.48 inches. The National Weather Service in Greer reported a rainfall total of 2.31 inches
| Est. Start Time | Location/County | Max. Rating | Est. Max. Winds | Max. Width | Path Length | Inj. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:55 PM | Clover/York | EF0 | 85 mph | 31 yards | 0.46 miles | 0 |
| 2:03 PM | Gilbert/Lexington | EF2 | 120 mph | 200 yards | 3.0 miles | 0 |
| 2:15 PM | Lexington/Lexington | EF0 | 80 mph | 100 yards | 0.4 miles | 0 |
| 2:16 PM | Lexington-Irmo/Lexington | EF1 | 95 mph | 150 yards | 2.5 miles | 0 |
| 2:46 PM | Ridgeway/Fairfield | EF1 | 105 mph | 100 yards | 4.4 miles | 0 |
.
(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.)
The highest official temperature reported was 87 degrees at Cades, Aiken and USC in Columbia on April 14.
The lowest official temperature reported was 28 degrees at Caesar's Head on April 9.
The heaviest official 24-hour precipitation reported was 3.40 inches at Spartanburg 3SSE on April 15 .
The state average precipitation for the seven-day period was 1.40 inches.
| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 1.86 | 14.79 | 1.8 |
| Greer Airport | 2.35 | 14.66 | 0.7 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.17 | 11.38 | -0.9 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.86 | 8.12 | -4.1 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.20 | 6.92 | -6.2 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.03 | 8.39 | -5.2 |
| Florence Airport | 2.66 | 9.42 | -1.4 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.29 | 10.28 | -2.3 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 1.00 | 7.89 | -4.0 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.02 | 5.24 | -6.6 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 53 degrees. Columbia: 62 degrees. Barnwell: 42 degrees. Mullins: 63 degrees.
Upstate river stages were much above normal.
Midlands and Pee Dee river stages were below normal to normal.
Lowcountry river stages were normal.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 65.7 degrees.
Fripp Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 63.1 degrees.
