SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER AND CLIMATE

April 26-May 2, 1999


WEATHER SUMMARY

Cloudy, cool weather on Monday and a mostly sunny, warm Tuesday was followed by late afternoon thunderstorms producing large hail from the north midlands to the north coast. This round of stormy weather preceded long awaited soaking rains. Low pressure positioned well northwest of the state set up a moist surface flow Tuesday afternoon drawing in rainshowers from the Atlantic. Heavy showers, moving generally westward from the coast, continued into Friday. By Friday afternoon the storm center had positioned offshore east of Charleston and was becoming a late spring gale. Northeast winds gusting around 50 mph were observed along the beaches. Loris received nearly 13 inches of rain for the event with 8 inches falling in one 24-hour period. Western counties saw clearing skies late Saturday but north coastal sites remained under the cover of clouds through the weekend. Statewide temperatures for the week averaged six degrees below normal.

PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE DATA

The maximum observed temperature was 93 degrees on April 27 at Allendale. The minimum observed temperature was 33 degrees at Caesars Head on the morning of April 30. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall was 8.00 inches at Loris ending at 7:00 a.m. on May 2. Statewide rainfall for the period averaged 3.2 inches.

          
                              Precipitation
                Period   1999    Deviation*     Temperature
Location         Total   Total   From Avg.    Maximum   Minimum   
Greer             2.45   13.0      5.1B         81        41 
Charlotte, NC     2.81   11.6      3.2B         80        43 
Columbia          3.13   12.7      4.0B         84        44    
Florence FAA      4.92   18.2      4.3A         82        44 
Blackville        4.26   16.7      0.4A         90        39
Augusta, GA       1.28   12.9      3.5B         89        45 
Beaufort          2.59   11.4      2.8B         84        46 
Charleston AP     1.70   12.6      1.4B         88        46
Myrtle Beach      4.06   15.7      0.3A         82        47
*A=Above, B=Below, E=Estimate

Note: Weekly rainfall amounts are for the prior 24-hrs ending 7:00 a.m. Monday through ending 7:00 a.m. Sunday

ENERGY DEMAND AND AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY

                 Degree Days      
                   Actual  
                 April 1-30
             Cooling     Heating             
Columbia       136         88
Charleston     153         61
Greenville      74        132
The National Weather Service located at Columbia Metropolitan Airport reports an average 4-inch depth soil temperature of 65 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF

River stages are normal to above normal. Surf temperatures at Myrtle Beach and Savannah will average around 65 degrees.


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