SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

April 24 - April 30, 2006

WEATHER SUMMARY

Gusting west winds on Monday and Tuesday pushed the afternoon temperature into the 90's from the Midlands to the beaches. Wednesday's cold front caused a full day of severe weather that included hail and tornadoes. The Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston reported hailstones the size of golf balls. Brief tornado paths were confirmed in both Kershaw and Williamsburg counties. Slow clearing was observed on Thursday with cooler and drier air replacing the stormy weather. The weekend weather was controlled by high pressure over New England and its forcing of northeast winds into South Carolina. Mostly sunny skies were reported over the eastern half of the state Sunday, while western counties noted clouds and occasional raindrops. For the period, the state average temperature was one degree above normal.

The highest official temperature reported was 93 degrees at Jamestown on April 24. The lowest official temperature reported was 39 degrees at Cedar Creek on the morning of April 28. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 2.91 inches at Kingstree ending at 7:00 a.m. on April 27. The average statewide rainfall for the period was 0.9 inches.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

                           
                            
                            Precipitation                    
                       Weekly   Jan 1  Deviation     
                        Total   Total   From Avg
         Greer           0.67    9.94     -7.6
      Columbia           0.31    8.09     -8.0 
    Orangeburg           1.04   10.28     -5.9  
 Charlotte, NC           0.66    8.08     -6.8             	
   Augusta, GA           0.31   12.04     -4.1  
      Florence           1.37    7.01     -6.9
  Myrtle Beach           1.55   11.02     -2.1
    Charleston           1.32    9.67     -4.3     
  Savannah, GA           0.74    9.08     -4.8








Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.  

SOIL: 4-inch depth average soil temperature: Columbia 70 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures near Myrtle Beach and Fripp Inlet will average from 68 to 72 degrees.