A stalled frontal boundary triggered thunderstorms on Monday. Chester received 2.45 inches and Columbia Metropolitan AP recorded 2.82 inches. The USGS Little River gage near Limehouse measured 4.91 inches on May 22. Stormy weather continued into Tuesday with 5.23 inches of rain at the SC Department of Natural Resources gage at Fort Johnson in Charleston County.
The weather turned severe on Wednesday with reports of hail, intense thunderstorms and three tornadoes. At 2:40 p.m., an EF-1 tornado began a 3-mile path in Saluda County with 110 mph peak estimated winds. By 3:04 p.m., an EF-2 tornado traveled 12 miles through northern Saluda and Newberry counties. At 4:19 p.m., an EF-1 tornado touched down northeast of Lancaster, close to the North Carolina state line. Showers were less widespread on Thursday.
After four consecutive days of unsettled weather, Friday's daybreak was bright and sunny with temperatures in the 50s. Mostly sunny, blue skies started the Memorial Day Weekend. On Saturday, Newberry reported a pleasant afternoon high temperature of 86 degrees. Another round of storms developed on Sunday for parts of the Upstate and Midlands. A CoCoRaHS observer in Abbeville received 0.36 inches of rain. The Richland County instruments at Lake Murray Dam recorded a 60 mph wind gust at 10:55 p.m.
The highest official temperature reported was 95 degrees at Marlboro AP on May 27.
The lowest official temperature reported was 46 degrees at Jocassee on May 25.
The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 5.40 inches at Bluffton ending on May 23.
The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 2.7 inches.
The state average temperature for the seven-day period was one degree above the long-term average.
| Weekly | Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson AP | 1.24 | 21.63 | 3.5 |
| Greer AP | 0.95 | 24.77 | 5.7 |
| Charlotte, NC AP | 1.74 | 20.56 | 4.0 |
| Columbia Metro AP | 4.69 | 23.40 | 7.2 |
| Orangeburg AP | 1.27 | 16.50 | -0.6 |
| Augusta, GA Bush AP | 2.58 | 19.95 | 2.6 |
| Florence AP | 1.97 | 14.55 | -0.4 |
| N Myrtle Beach AP | 3.10 | 13.17 | -3.8 |
| Charleston AP | 1.80 | 15.16 | -0.8 |
| Savannah, GA AP | 8.36 | 23.62 | 7.7 |
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton 67 degrees. Columbia 74 degrees. Barnwell 69 degrees. Mullins 73 degrees.
South Carolina river stages were near normal. Charleston Harbor Custom House reported a water temperature of 79 degrees. The Fripp Nearshore Buoy Station 41033 reported a water temperature of 81 degrees.
