SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

April 14 - 20, 2003

WEATHER SUMMARY

Warm and sunny Spring weather dominated the work week. Afternoon high temperatures for most sites ranged from the low to mid 80's. Rain showers were observed on Friday as a southward moving frontal boundary entered the area. On Saturday, cloudy skies and light rains fell near and along the boundary while the southern coast enjoyed sunny, mild conditions. High temperatures north of the front fell into the 60's over the weekend. Skies began to clear late Sunday with enough warming for the mercury to reach 70 degrees. The average statewide temperature for the period was three degrees above normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The highest temperature reported was 86 degrees at Orangeburg on April 14. The lowest temperature was 44 degrees at Lake Bowen on the morning of April 16 The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.20" at Lake Greenwood ending at 7:00 a.m. on April 19. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.6".

                    Precipitation
               Period    2003   Deviation*      Temperature
Location        Total   Total   From Avg.    Maximum    Minimum	
Greer            1.73   18.68       2.4A        80        48
Columbia         0.63   17.14       2.0A        81        51
Florence         0.00   16.72       2.6A        80        50      
Charleston       0.00   14.49       1.4A        81        52
N Myrtle Beach   0.00   16.58       4.0A        74        50
Augusta, Ga      0.36   17.71       2.4A        82        47
A=Above, B=Below                                                              
                                                                                             

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the 24-hour period ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL

4 inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 62 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

South Carolina river stages were reported near or above flood stage. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 62 degrees.