Low pressure along the Florida Panhandle continued to move slowly to the east, providing Atlantic moisture into the region on Monday, December 23. Under cloudy skies, low temperatures climbed from the upper 40s and low 50s to daytime highs in the upper 50s to low 60s across the state. Multiple roads in the Bluffton and Charleston areas were closed due to the combination of heavy rain and high tides. CoCoRaHS observers in the Lowcountry reported 24-hour rainfall totals between two and five inches. The Charleston Harbor tidal gauge recorded a maximum tide of 7.64 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) on Monday morning. A non-thunderstorm wind gust of 61 mph was noted from a WeatherFlow sensor on the pier at the Isle of Palms, other wind gusts in the area were between 55 and 60 mph. The heavy rain along the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) caused a dam breach in Aiken County along Town Creek. At least one home and multiple vehicles in the area were damaged due to the water. Evacuations were issued for those downstream of the breach, as the water caused another dam to overtop.
The low pressure accelerated to the northeast and away from the region overnight on Monday and the residual rain cleared the state by daybreak on Tuesday. CoCoRaHS observers in Georgetown and Horry counties reported up to six inches of rainfall, with one isolated report of over eight inches near Pawley’s Island. A tidal value of 8.06 ft MLLW was recorded at the Charleston Harbor gauge and many roads in the Charleston area were closed due to major saltwater flooding. By Wednesday morning, high pressure had moved back over the area, and the fair and mild conditions would prevail across the region through the end of the week. High temperatures on Christmas Day reached the mid to upper 60s across the Palmetto State, nearly ten degrees above normal. The drier air let overnight temperatures fall into the upper 30s, but the mild conditions continued into Thursday, with maximum temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s. The National Weather Service station at the Charleston International Airport recorded a high of 74 degrees, after starting the morning with a temperature of 47 degrees.
Low level moisture increased across the area on Friday, December 27 and dense fog, with visibilities reduced to less than a mile and a half, were reported across portions of the Midlands and Pee Dee. The increased moisture also caused some isolated showers in parts of the CSRA. The southerly flow, ahead of an approaching cold front, continued to increase the amount of moisture across the state, enhancing rain chances into the weekend. Maximum and minimum temperatures on Saturday and Sunday continued to be above normal for the time of year, with lows in the 50s and highs pushing the 70s.
(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 | 1.50 | 39.30 | -4.7 |
| Greer Airport | 3.19 | 51.09 | 4.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 1.25 | 54.03 | 12.6 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 2.39 | 42.10 | -2.2 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 2.14 | 30.86 | -15.7 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.57 | 50.59 | 7.2 |
| Florence Airport | 2.39 | 44.60 | 1.9 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 3.12 | 55.87 | 4.0 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 3.81 | 49.40 | -1.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 2.62 | 51.15 | 3.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 55 degrees. Columbia: 57 degrees. Barnwell: 53 degrees. Mullins: 66 degrees.
Most of the rainfall during the period was the result of the low-pressure system, which pushed through the region on Monday and Tuesday. Most of the National Weather Service stations and CoCoRaHS observers across the state reported at least an inch of rain over the seven days. However, portions of the Lowcountry and Pee Dee recorded over six inches of rain, and streamflow values rose rapidly in the areas impacted by the heaviest rains. There were reports of flooding along some of the tributaries of the river, as streams struggled to handle the intense rain rates. Area river flooding continued for many rivers during the period, though many were expected to drop below flood state by the end of the weekend. With the rainfall over past few weeks, the year-to-date rainfall totals are near normal across much of the state. However, there are some parts of the Central Savannah River Area and the Midlands that will end the year with slightly below normal values, and areas in the mountainous Upstate are higher. The consistent rainfall over the last few weeks has increased streamflow values across the Palmetto State.
