The 2010 autumn season ended on Monday, December 20, with all sites reporting a morning freeze. It was 17 degrees in Effingham and 24 degrees in Summerville. The high temperature in Mullins was just 42 degrees. Light rains arrived on Tuesday with a push of milder air from the south. Pelion measured 0.07 inches and the Clemson AP measured 0.06 inches. Hardeeville reported a mild 63-degree afternoon high temperature. Wednesday's morning fog in the Upstate signaled the entrance of warmer air further north and west. Both the Anderson and Sandy Springs observation sites recorded high temperatures of 67 degrees. The short break in the extended cold weather only lasted two days as another surge of freezing air dropped into the state during the day on Thursday. Most of South Carolina reported sunny, cold conditions on December 24. At sunrise on Christmas Day, clouds began appearing over the northwest mountain locations ahead of an area of mixed precipitation. At 2:30 p.m., Pickens had measured 1.3 inches of snow. Pockets of snowfall moved east through the holiday. The Midlands began reporting accumulating snow just after midnight and early on December 26. The winter storm's lowest pressure was observed at the Georgetown AP, Springmaid Pier and the Myrtle Beach AP early on December 26 with a barometric pressure value of 29.59 inches of mercury. Moncks Corner shared in the blanket of white with one inch of snow. At 2:50 p.m., the Hilton Head AP observed light snow. The heaviest snow total was reported at Caesars Head with 7 inches on the ground. Greenville and Mullins measured 5.0 inches. Flurries continued late into the night of December 26. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was three degrees below normal.
The highest official temperature reported was 72 degrees at the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station and Barnwell on December 22. The lowest official temperature reported was 15 degrees at Chesnee on December 20. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.10 inches at Georgetown AP ending at 7:00 a.m. on December 26. The state average rainfall for the period was 0.5 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Total Total from Avg
Greer 0.32 42.73 -6.9
Anderson 0.32 39.44 -6.6
Columbia 0.51 35.50 -12.1
Orangeburg 0.45 39.93 -7.7
Charlotte, NC 0.36 36.40 -6.6
Augusta, GA 0.22 28.61 -15.4
Florence 0.56 44.54 0.4
N Myrtle Beach 0.67 41.98 -3.2
Charleston 0.90 57.57 6.6
Savannah, GA 0.71 36.35 -12.7
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 47 degrees, Charleston 49 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 43 degrees.
