The main weather story for the week was the continued heat wave, which started on May 24 and lasted through the remainder of the May. A strong upper-level ridge persisted over the Southeast United States, producing dry weather and record high temperatures. Maximum temperatures were fifteen to twenty degrees above normal and over sixty daily record high temperatures were broken and ten more tied the daily maximum values during the reporting period. Daily record high minimum temperatures were also broken (ten) or tied (nine) over the last five days of May.
With the dry air in place, low temperatures from Monday, May 27 through Thursday, May 30, started in the mid-60’s to low 70’s across the state, roughly five to ten degrees above normal for this time of year. Under the abundant sunshine, with no rain, daytime temperatures soared into the upper 90’s and over the 100-degree mark at some locations during the four days. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Florence Regional Airport reached a high of 102 degrees on Tuesday, May 28, setting a new all-time highest temperature for May. The record heat did not help firefighters who responded to a 245-acre wildfire in Aiken County, which forced the closure of I-20 for nearly 20 miles and evacuations near Old Graniteville Highway. Spot fires continued through much of the week before the fire was contained on June 1. On Wednesday, May 29, the NWS station at the Charleston International Airport measured a high temperature of 101 degrees. This value tied the record for the highest temperature in May, set the previous day, and was the last of four consecutive days that the station recorded maximum temperatures at or above 100 degrees. Stations in the typically cooler locations of the Upstate, such as Table Rock and Walhalla, observed high temperatures in the lower 90’s. A wildfire was reported south of Clarks Hill in Edgefield County, and a brush fire started near Highway 9 in Horry County; both of these fires were smaller than the Aiken County fire. CoCoRaHS observers in Beaufort and Jasper counties reported 24-hour rainfall totals ending the morning of Thursday, May 30, of less than a quarter of an inch, the first measurable rainfall in the state in nearly a week. On the same day, the NWS station at the Charleston International Airport measured a record high minimum temperature of 79 degrees, Columbia Owens Downtown Airport reported a maximum temperature of 101 degrees.
By Friday, May 31, the weather pattern had begun to shift as the ridge of high pressure weakened, providing the state with some relief from the oppressive heat. While the minimum temperatures continued to be slightly warmer than normal (mid 60’s to low 70’s), the daytime high temperatures stayed below 100 degrees, with many stations reporting maximums in the low to mid-90’s. The weakening of the high-pressure allowed for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop and move through portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee. Multiple reports of quarter-sized hail came out of Horry County, and wind gusts up to 50 mph accompanied reports of tree damage in Myrtle Beach and near Galivants Ferry. Wind damage was also reported in Darlington and Marlboro counties, with multiple trees down and power outages in Bennettsville and McColl. The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport reported a wind gust of 50 mph, and storm reports of downed trees were made in downtown and Mount Pleasant. The 24-hour rainfall totals of over half an inch were reported by CoCoRaHS observers on the morning of June 1 in portions of Charleston, Georgetown and Horry counties, though most of the region missed out on the rainfall. After nearly two weeks of warmer than normal minimum temperatures, the lows on Saturday morning were in the upper 50’s to low 60’s across the state, and high temperatures climbed into the upper 80’s to low 90’s, slightly above normal for the start of June. The cool trend continued through the rest of the weekend, with minimum temperatures on Sunday morning in the low to mid-60’s and highs once again in the upper 80’s to low 90’s across the region.
(Note: The highest and lowest official temperatures and highest precipitation totals provided below are based on observations from the National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer network and the National Weather Service's Forecast Offices.)| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 0.00 | 18.84 | 0.2 |
| Greer Airport | 0.00 | 21.04 | 1.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.00 | 21.48 | 4.3 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.00 | 11.71 | -5.1 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.00 | 11.17 | -6.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.00 | 14.48 | -3.3 |
| Florence Airport | 0.60 | 13.34 | -2.3 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.31 | 11.61 | -6.1 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.25 | 7.71 | -8.9 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.23 | 10.67 | -5.9 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 79 degrees. Columbia: 81 degrees. Barnwell: 73 degrees. Mullins: 71 degrees.
The combination of excessive heat, sunshine, and lack of precipitation exacerbated dry conditions across the state. A few portions of the Pee Dee region reported limited rainfall, which was confined to areas that received isolated showers and thunderstorms that pushed through the area on Thursday. Stations in Georgetown and Horry counties reported the most rain during the week, all of it coming from the one event, while most of the reporting stations across the state recorded no rain over the seven days. Over the last thirty days, most stations have only measured three inches or less, though a few stations have picked up closer to five inches, still well below normal for May. This extended period of dry weather has caused river and streamflow values across the Lowcountry, Midlands and Pee Dee region to continue to drop. Many rivers and streams, including portions of the Black Creek, Coosawatchie, Edisto, Savannah and Waccamaw, reported flows below normal for this time of year. The year-to-date rainfall totals in the Upstate remained well above normal for this time of year, with more than 20 inches reported at many locations and over 30 inches in some of the more mountainous areas. Ten to twenty inches of rain have fallen since the beginning of the year in the Midlands, but the Central Savannah River Area is close to six inches below normal. The Lowcountry and Pee Dee continue to be the driest parts of the state, with less than ten inches of rain in areas from the Interstate 95 corridor to the coast. These totals are six to eight inches below normal for this time of year in these regions, and rainfall totals for portions of the counties are running close to ten inches below normal.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 83.1 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 80.2 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 79.9 degrees.
The average temperatures for May 2019 were above normal across the entire state. It was the warmest May on record for Charleston, the second warmest May for both Columbia and Florence, and the third warmest May for the Greer Area. Most of the major reporting stations had monthly rainfall totals were below normal for May, with isolated locations less than two inches of rainfall throughout the month.
Midlands: Columbia Metro Airport
Pee Dee: Florence Airport
Lowcountry: North Charleston Airport
Statewide
