On Monday, March 23, unseasonably warm weather prevailed, with high temperatures reaching up to twenty degrees above normal. Morning temperatures ranged from the 50s to 60s across most of the state and climbed into the mid- to upper 80s before a cold front moved in, bringing a few isolated thunderstorms. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at Charleston International Airport (CHS) recorded a high of 90 degrees, breaking the previous daily record of 87 degrees set in 1995, and the high of 87 degrees at Anderson County Airport tied the daily record also established in 1995.
Behind the front, temperatures were more typical for the season on Tuesday, with morning lows in the 40s and daytime highs in the low to mid 60s. A warming trend started on Wednesday, with high temperatures reaching the upper 60s, some clouds, but mostly dry conditions. A wildfire in Berkeley County, called the Bullhead Wildfire, had grown to 417 acres by Thursday morning. No damage was reported to structures as the fire was in a remote area of Francis Marion National Forest. As high pressure remained over the region, winds shifted to become more southerly throughout the day, leading to warmer temperatures on Thursday.
Record warmth was observed across the state on Friday, March 27, with many locations reporting record-high temperatures. The NWS station at CHS recorded 89 degrees, breaking the record of 87 degrees set in 2020 and 2021. The high of 88 degrees at the NWS station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport tied the daily record set in 1994 and 2020. Another dry cold front pushed through the state late Friday, and a wedge of high pressure built into the region on Saturday. Temperatures were cooler, with morning lows in the 40s and daytime highs reaching the upper 60s to low 70s, despite ample sunshine. Also on Saturday, small craft advisories, red flag warnings, fire danger statements, and statewide burn bans were issued for the weekend due to gusty winds, rapidly drying fuels, and low humidity values. Wind gusts up to 30 mph at inland locations and up to 45 mph were reported along the coast. Temperatures dropped overnight and were up to fifteen degrees below normal, with some locations recording subfreezing temperatures by Sunday morning. Temperatures rebounded into the mid-to-upper 60s. By the end of the period, 36 wildfires had been reported across the state.
(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 | 0.00 | 7.20 | -4.8 |
| Greer Airport | 0.00 | 7.86 | -4.3 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | Trace | 5.34 | -5.0 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | Trace | 5.81 | -4.4 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.00 | 8.42 | -3.1 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.00 | 8.02 | -3.3 |
| Florence Airport | Trace | 5.71 | -3.4 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.01 | 4.61 | -4.9 | Charleston Air Force Base | Trace | 5.32 | -4.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.00 | 3.25 | -6.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia: 58 degrees. Barnwell: 51 degrees. Mullins: 68 degrees.
Rainfall was limited during the period, with only a few isolated locations in Georgetown and Orangeburg counties reporting totals over a tenth of an inch; most of the state recorded no rainfall during the seven-day period. The ongoing lack of beneficial rainfall across the state has worsened conditions, with extreme drought (D3) conditions introduced in the Lowcountry, in parts of Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties, on the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map released on Thursday, March 24. Elsewhere, there were no changes to the drought classifications from the previous week, as dry conditions persisted across the region.
Values for the 14-day average streamflow are no longer available because some USGS products have been decommissioned. Information on current streamflow can be found at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/state/South%20Carolina/. River and coastal tidal heights remained below flood stage throughout the entire period.
