On Monday, October 21, morning temperatures in the upper 50s rose throughout the day to the upper 70s across the majority of the state. Despite the moisture that moved back into the region ahead of an approaching cold front, rainfall totals in areas outside of the Upstate were limited. By Tuesday morning, CoCoRaHS observers in Oconee and Pickens counties reported 24-hour rainfall totals between a half-inch and one inch, while less than a tenth of an inch of rain was reported elsewhere. As a warm front lifted over the region during the morning, high temperatures reached the upper 70s to mid-80s across South Carolina, nearly ten degrees above normal. The National Weather Service (NWS) Station located at the Beaufort MCAS reported a maximum temperature of 89 degrees, which was thirteen degrees above normal.
The low-pressure system and accompanying cold front pushed through the state on Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday morning, temperatures had dropped into the upper 40s to mid-50s. The 24-hour rainfall totals ending Wednesday morning ranged from over half an inch north of the Interstate 85 corridor to less than a tenth of an inch in the Midlands, to trace amounts at the coast. The cooler air kept high temperatures near normal, with the majority of the NWS stations reporting values between the upper 60s to low 70s. The high-pressure system shifted off the Mid-Atlantic Coast on Thursday, October 24. Southerly winds helped bring moisture back into the region, but dry conditions prevailed for the remainder of the week. Under clear skies, morning temperatures dropped into the mid-30s in portions of the Piedmont. The NWS stations in Anderson, Spartanburg and Union counties observed low temperatures up to ten degrees below normal.
Heading into the weekend, the high-pressure continued to move away from the East Coast as an area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico increased southerly flow into the region on Friday, October 25. While the highest rain chances remained to the west of the area, scattered storms produced around a half-inch of rain across the Midlands and Upstate. Both minimum and maximum temperatures were ten degrees above normal, and the warmer than normal temperature trend would continue through Sunday. With an approaching cold front, showers and thunderstorms were more widespread on Saturday, and many locations picked up a third of an inch of rain before skies cleared on Sunday.
The second cycle of King Tides for October started along the coast on Friday, which would last through the weekend. The Charleston Harbor tidal gauge observed astronomical high tide values of 7.03 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) on Friday, 7.25 ft. MLLW on Saturday, and 7.24 ft. MLLW on Sunday.
(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 | 0.35 | 29.75 | -6.4 |
| Greer Airport | 0.47 | 39.03 | 0.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.95 | 43.35 | 8.5 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.36 | 29.31 | -9.0 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.36 | 21.44 | -18.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.36 | 39.16 | 2.1 |
| Florence Airport | 0.41 | 35.48 | -1.4 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.04 | 46.64 | 1.6 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.05 | 39.27 | -5.9 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.32 | 37.97 | -4.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 64 degrees. Columbia: 70 degrees. Barnwell: 65 degrees. Mullins: 69 degrees. RIVER STAGES:
Scattered showers in the early part of the week, combined with widespread rain on Saturday, provided additional relief to the dry conditions across much of the state. Most of the National Weather Service stations and CoCoRaHS observers across the state reported rainfall over the period. However, some observers in the Pee Dee did not measure any rain. Up to two inches of rain was reported in parts of Allendale and Barnwell counties in the Lowcountry, and close to four inches of rain fell in the northern portions of Oconee and Pickens counties. With the rainfall over the last two weeks, the streamflow values continued to increase across the entire state. However, the USGS river gauges continued to show below-normal flows on their 14-day flow product along much of the Savannah (despite being regulated) and in portions of the ACE and Pee Dee Basins. Elsewhere in the state, many gauges reported below-normal flows, and those that reported ‘normal’ flows are in the lower range of the percentile bracket.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 74.3 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 74.3 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): 74.3 degrees.
