The main weather story for the work week was the continued lack of rainfall and the worsening of dry conditions across much of the Palmetto State.
On Monday, September 16, a high-pressure system remained over the region and in control of the weather pattern to start the work week. Reported minimum temperatures were ten degrees above normal, in the upper 60s to low 70s, including 74 degrees measured at the National Weather Service (NWS) station in Moncks Corner. High temperatures climbed into the low to mid-90s, close to 15 degrees above normal at some locations in the Midlands and Upstate. The hot and dry weather persisted over the Southeast U.S. into Tuesday, as maximum temperatures reached the mid to upper 90s at many stations. The NWS stations in Long Creek and at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport broke their daily high temperature records set back in 1991, with maximum temperatures of 90 and 95 degrees, respectively. The NWS station at the Anderson County Airport set a new daily high temperature record of 96 degrees, breaking the record of 94 degrees from 1953. Strong rip currents were reported by lifeguards as Hurricane Humberto stayed offshore of the South Carolina coastline, and continued to move away from the U.S. mainland.
A backdoor cold front moved across the region by the morning of Wednesday, September 18, providing relief from the above normal temperatures and returning values to near normal for mid-September. The observed morning low temperatures ranged from the upper 60s to lower 70s, slightly above normal, but the maximum temperatures dropped roughly ten degrees, rising to only the upper 70s to low 80s across the state. Through the remainder of the work week, the observed minimum temperatures were in the 50s and 60s, and on Friday morning the NWS station in Orangeburg reported a low of 51 degrees, which was the third coolest September 20th on record at the location. High temperatures both days were slightly below normal, with measured values in the upper 70s to mid-80s.
With the surface high pressure and upper-level ridge over the area, the dry weather pattern persisted into the weekend with a gradual warming trend. The minimum temperatures were seasonable with reports in the mid-50s to low 60s, while high temperatures were slightly above normal with maximum temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. The tropics remained active with Humberto and Jerry in the Atlantic, while the remnants of Imelda caused flooding issues in portions of Texas. Closer to home, due to the lack of rainfall over the past few weeks, the drought conditions intensified across the state, which was reflected in the designations provided by the SC Drought Response Committee and US Drought Monitor.
(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 | 26.94 | -4.6 |
| Greer Airport | 0.01 | 36.48 | 1.5 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.00 | 39.33 | 8.4 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.01 | 27.28 | -7.3 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.03 | 18.21 | -17.9 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | Trace | 35.75 | 2.6 |
| Florence Airport | 0.00 | 32.98 | -0.3 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.00 | 42.57 | 2.5 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.00 | 36.05 | -4.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.09 | 31.07 | -6.8 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 73 degrees. Columbia: 78 degrees. Barnwell: 71 degrees. Mullins: 66 degrees.
Most of the rainfall over the seven days fell in Beaufort County, where observers reported up to two inches of rain, and with most of those totals the result of one event. Outside of the localized portions of the Lowcountry, less than half an inch of rain was recorded across the remainder of the state. Streamflow values continued to drop in many of the state's streams and rivers, with several reported flows in the southern portion of the state well below normal for this time of year. The USGS river gauges show below normal to much below normal flows on their 14-day flow product along much of the Savannah (despite being regulated) and in portions of the ACE and Santee Basins. At the time of this report, the real-time streamflow values are much below normal across the ACE Basin in the Lowcountry, and along the Savannah. Elsewhere in the state, many gauges are reporting below normal flows and those that are reporting ‘normal' flows are in the lower range of the percentile bracket. Portions of Allendale, Barnwell and Hampton counties in the Lowcountry, along with portions of Orangeburg County, continue to be the driest areas of the state, reporting less than twenty-five inches since the beginning of the year. Totals of over forty inches were present along the immediate coast of the southern coastal counties while interior locations within those counties measured lower amounts. Although rainfall totals in the Upstate over the last 30 days are below normal, the year-to-date rainfall totals in the Upstate remained near to above normal for this time of year, with more than thirty-five inches reported at many locations and over fifty inches in some of the more mountainous areas.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 79.3 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 78.4 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 82.2 degrees.
