WEEKLY SOUTH CAROLINA WEATHER 2016

March 7, 2016 - March 13, 2016

WEATHER SUMMARY:

A frosty 29 degrees was reported on Monday morning in Whitmire and 30 degrees for Batesburg. A pre-spring warming trend followed into the weekend. Tuesday's afternoon high temperatures reached 78 degrees at Dillon, Georgetown and Summerville. Sunny conditions and calm air on Wednesday sent the mercury to an afternoon maximum of 79 degrees at Saluda, Allendale and Lake City. At 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, south winds at 15 mph had warmed Charleston and Columbia to a mid-day 80 degrees. A sampling of 80-degree high temperatures reported on Thursday included Darlington and Sandhill (83 degrees), Hartsville and Orangeburg (82 degrees), Florence and Manning (81 degrees), and Greenwood and McCormick (80 degrees). The Greenville-Spartanburg AP Friday maximum temperature of 80 degrees was that location's warmest day since October 23, 2015. Table Rock State Park reached 82 degrees and had their warmest day since October 1, 2015. Barnwell and Cades noted a Friday high temperature of 85 degrees. Pockets of dense fog on Saturday morning dissipated under mostly sunny conditions with another day of afternoon temperatures in the 80's. Clemson AP, Rock Hill AP and Chester all noted 82 degrees. The warm, sunny days have moved selected varieties of peaches on the "ridge" area of Edgefield, Saluda and Aiken counties into blossom. Established gardens from the coastal plain into the Midlands were showing early season color. Scattered rains developed over the Upstate before sunrise on Sunday. Measurements taken at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning included 0.49 inches at Sassafras Mt., 0.34 inches at Jocassee Dam and 0.19 inches at Sandy Springs. A mostly sunny Dillon, Shaw AFB and Holly Hill all made it to 84 degrees on Sunday. The Columbia Metro AP recorded 85 degrees at 4:19 p.m. EDT. Rain showers over Orangeburg brought a rinsing 0.37 inches. No rain was reported during the week at Aiken, Winnsboro or Hartsville.

The highest official temperature reported was 86 degrees at Jamestown on March 11 and at Bennettsville on March 13. The lowest official temperature reported was 27 degrees at Jocassee 8WNW on March 8. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 1.28 inches at Caesars Head ending at 7:00 a.m. on March 13. The state average rainfall for the seven-day period was 0.2 inches. The state average temperature for the seven-day period was eleven degrees above the long-term average.

PRECIPITATION:

  Weekly Jan 1 Departure
Anderson AP 0.21 7.78 -1.8
Greer AP 0.40 8.85 -0.9
Charlotte, NC AP 0.12 6.96 -1.5
Columbia Metro AP 0.08 7.38 -1.5
Orangeburg AP 0.37 8.32 -1.0
Augusta, GA Bush AP 0.05 6.65 -3.1
Florence AP 0.27 8.22 0.6
N Myrtle Beach AP 0.00 8.49 -0.3
Charleston AP 0.00 9.05 0.9
Savannah, GA AP 0.03 7.11 -0.9

Weekly rainfall totals ending midnight Sunday.

SOIL:

4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 66 degrees.

RIVERS AND SURF:

South Carolina river stages were near to below normal. The Charleston Harbor Ravenel Bridge reported a water temperature of 63 degrees. Springmaid Pier at Myrtle Beach reported a surf water temperature of 57 degrees.