The workweek started on Monday, October 28, with warmer than normal temperatures. Overnight lows were in the mid to upper 50s and rose to the upper 70s to low-80s across the Palmetto State. The National Weather Service station at the Beaufort MCAS reported a high of 85 degrees, which tied the daily record set back in 2010. Moisture began to spread northeastward from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of a storm system that would impact the area through the majority of the week. Widespread rain fell on Tuesday, with some portions of the lower Savannah River area measuring more than two inches of rain. A CoCoRaHS observer in Hampton County reported a 24-hour total of 2.11 inches, and nearby stations recorded over an inch and a half of rain. The rain kept temperatures mild overnight, with lows in the upper 50s to mid-60s, and highs in the low-70s. The approaching warm front and increased moisture triggered showers and thunderstorms across much of the state on Wednesday, though the heaviest rainfall was confined to the Upstate. The NWS station at the Clemson/Oconee Airport reported 1.77 inches of rainfall, and the station at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport measured 1.16 inches. The Charleston Harbor tidal gauge observed astronomical high tide values of 7.58 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) on Tuesday and 7.43 ft. MLLW on Wednesday. Saltwater flooding along the coast caused the closure of roadways in and around the Charleston area.
Halloween, on Thursday, October 31, proved to be the most active weather day out of the period, as both a warm front and cold front moved across the state. The warm front caused afternoon temperatures to rise into the upper 70s to mid-80s. Some of the NWS stations in the Midlands measured maximum temperatures of 87 degrees, including the stations in Columbia, Florence and Orangeburg. The combination of the above-normal temperatures and cold front produced a severe weather event that occurred during the late afternoon and early evening. Thunderstorms caused storm damage in the Upstate in Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens and Spartanburg counties. In the Midlands, an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds of 95 mph, touched down multiple times along an eight-mile path across Lexington County, causing considerable tree damage. Other locations in the Pee Dee and the Lowcountry reported tree damage as the line of thunderstorms pushed through the state.
On Friday, November 1, the cold front had cleared the state, and a cooler and drier air mass moved into the region for the weekend. Morning lows were observed in the upper 30s to mid-40s across the state, though some locations in the mountains reported temperatures below freezing. Despite the abundant sunshine, daytime temperatures were up to ten degrees below normal, reaching the low to mid-60s. The cooler than normal conditions prevailed through Sunday, with minimum temperatures dropping into the low to mid-30s, signaling the end of the growing season in much of the Upstate, with maximum temperatures in the low to mid-60s.
(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 | 1.63 | 31.38 | -5.4 |
| Greer Airport | 2.43 | 41.46 | 1.8 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.98 | 45.33 | 9.8 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.64 | 29.95 | -9.0 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.44 | 21.88 | -18.8 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.97 | 40.13 | 2.5 |
| Florence Airport | 0.15 | 35.63 | -1.9 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.07 | 46.71 | 0.9 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.18 | 39.45 | -6.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.38 | 38.35 | -4.5 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 52 degrees. Columbia: 61 degrees. Barnwell: 56 degrees. Mullins: 45 degrees. RIVER STAGES:
Most of the rainfall during the period occurred between Wednesday and Friday morning. And, most of the National Weather Service stations and CoCoRaHS observers across the state reported rainfall, providing additional relief from the drought conditions. National Weather Service and CoCoRaHS observers reported up to seven inches of rainfall in areas of the Upstate, north of the Interstate 85 corridor, and up to three inches of rain in parts of the southern Savannah River Basin. However, some observers in the Pee Dee measured less than a quarter of an inch of rain during the period. Year-to-date rainfall totals are roughly 75 to 90 percent of normal across much of the state, though some parts of the Midlands are lower, and areas in the mountainous Upstate are higher. The rainfall over the last three weeks has brought increased streamflow values across the entire state. However, a few USGS river gauges continued to show below-normal flows on their 14-day flow product along parts of the Savannah (despite being regulated) and in portions of the ACE Basin along the Edisto River.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 70.2 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 68.9 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): Not Available.
