Rains fell into daylight on Monday, December 23. Greenwood measured a 24-hour rainfall total ending at 7:00 a.m. of 4.52 inches and flooding was observed in low-lying acreage across Greenwood County. Warm temperatures held on for another day at Andrews with an afternoon high temperature of 82 degrees. Edgefield reported 0.94 inches of additional rain from Monday morning into Tuesday morning. Caesars Head was back to a freezing 32 degrees as more seasonal cold arrived over the highest elevations. On Wednesday, Christmas morning, the sunrise temperature started at 25 degrees at McCormick, Newberry and Sandhill. At 10:00 a.m., runway instruments at McEntire ANG AP recorded a barometric pressure value of 30.56 inches of mercury under clear skies. For Columbia, Florence, Myrtle Beach and Charleston, it was the coldest Christmas afternoon since 2004. Clouds increased during the evening hours bringing areas of light rain into Thursday. Beaufort reported 50 degrees for a Thursday high temperature. More cold air on Friday morning sent the mercury to 23 degrees at Chesnee and 24 degrees at Cedar Creek. Saturday's minimum temperatures included 25 degrees at Hartsville and 29 degrees at Summerville. Surface winds moved to a more southerly direction on Saturday, bringing much milder conditions. Pinopolis and Kingstree reached 70 degrees on Saturday afternoon. An area of low pressure began to affect the state on Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, the Jocassee Dam had measured a 24-hour rainfall of 2.85 inches. McCormick measured 2.73 inches and Edgefield recorded 1.91 inches. Areas of heavy rain moved eastward through the day. The unstable conditions at Springmaid Pier produced a 10:24 a.m. rain-filled wind gust of 51 mph. Parts of western South Carolina observed clearing and late afternoon sunshine. The Charleston AP warmed to 76 degrees at 2:41 p.m. on Sunday. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was three degrees above the long-term average.
The highest official temperature reported was 83 degrees at Jamestown on December 23. The lowest official temperature reported was 19 degrees at Long Creek on December 25. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 5.25 inches at Calhoun Falls ending at 7:00 a.m. on December 23. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 2.0 inches.
PRECIPITATION:
Precipitation
Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Anderson AP 2.38 65.54 21.6
Greer AP 2.23 69.56 22.6
Charlotte, NC AP 3.76 49.62 8.2
Columbia Metro AP 2.35 55.47 11.1
Orangeburg AP 1.22 54.85 8.3
Augusta, GA Bush AP 3.21 55.52 12.2
Florence AP 1.67 54.68 12.0
N Myrtle Beach AP 0.88 48.56 -3.3
Charleston AP 0.76 58.11 7.3
Savannah, GA AP 1.12 54.07 6.3
Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.
SOIL:
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 51 degrees, Charleston 61 degrees.
RIVERS AND SURF:
South Carolina river stages were near to above normal. The ocean water temperature at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach was reported at 53 degrees.
