On Monday, December 16, a weak high-pressure moderated the daytime temperature across the Palmetto State into the mid-70s, which was over fifteen degrees above normal. The National Weather Service (NWS) station located at the Florence Regional Airport observed a low of 38 degrees and recorded a high of 75 degrees, eighteen degrees above the normal high of 57 degrees. Despite the drier conditions, river flood warnings continued for parts of the state, mainly on the Pee Dee in Florence and Marion counties and along the Santee River in Berkeley, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties. A cold front started to move through the area during Tuesday, but ahead of the front temperatures were warmer than normal. The NWS station at Caesars Head reported a low temperature of 48 degrees, which tied the record highest minimum temperature for the day set back in 2008. Rain, with a few thunderstorms, occurred mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. The heaviest rainfall totals were in the Upstate, with isolated higher amounts in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA).
By Wednesday, December 18, the dry weather behind the cold front moved into the region for the remainder of the work week. Temperatures across much of the state returned to seasonable values for mid-December with overnight lows in the 30s and daytime highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. However, along the coast, high temperatures were still above normal, reaching the low to mid-60s. With the dry air mass, temperatures struggled to climb out of the 40s on Thursday, after morning lows in the mid-20s. Even on Friday, temperatures were unseasonably cool despite warming into the low 50s across much of the state.
A low-pressure system developed in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, bring moisture back across the Southeast and causing unsettled conditions for the beginning of the new week. The weekend was dominated by mostly cloudy and seasonably cool weather. Spotty showers were reported along the Savannah River, with a few isolated storms producing up to an inch of rainfall in Abbeville and Edgefield counties on Saturday. The rainfall became more widespread by Sunday, and with temperatures in the upper 40s, made for a cold, miserable rain for those trying to take advantage of the last weekend before the holidays.
(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 | 0.75 | 37.80 | -5.3 |
| Greer Airport | 1.16 | 48.71 | 2.6 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.01 | 52.78 | 12.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.51 | 39.82 | -3.8 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 1.08 | 28.72 | -17.2 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 2.45 | 49.02 | 6.5 |
| Florence Airport | 0.96 | 42.21 | 0.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.18 | 52.75 | 1.6 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.86 | 45.59 | -4.5 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 2.76 | 48.53 | -1.5 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 46 degrees. Columbia: 53 degrees. Barnwell: 44 degrees. Mullins: 43 degrees.
The wet pattern continued for the Palmetto State, as most of the National Weather Service stations and CoCoRaHS observers across the Midlands and Upstate reported at least an inch of rain over the seven days. However, portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee missed out on the rainfall, reporting less than a quarter of an inch in some locations. The rainfall since the end of October made up some of the year-to-date rainfall deficits for many areas of the state and alleviated the remaining drought conditions that had persisted in portions of the CSRA. The US Drought Monitor removed all mention of drought, and only a few isolated pockets of abnormally dry conditions were noted on the map released on December 19.
