On Monday, July 7, a typical summer pattern developed across the region as the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal moved toward the Mid-Atlantic, bringing hot and humid conditions with a slight chance of showers, and high temperatures five to ten degrees above normal with maximum temperatures ranging from the lower 90s near the coast to upper 90s in portions of the Midlands and Upstate. The warmer-than-normal temperatures continued into Tuesday, when high temperatures were up to ten degrees above normal in the Upstate. The National Weather Service (NWS) stations at Anderson Regional Airport and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport recorded a high of 98 degrees, which, combined with the humid conditions, produced heat indices of up to 105 degrees. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms developed in the Midlands and Pee Dee on Tuesday, and lightning caused structure fires near Evergreen and Scranton in Florence County.
An approaching upper-level trough increased the likelihood of showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon. Severe storms produced hail up to golf-ball sized in Aiken County and caused wind damage in parts of Greenwood, Lexington, and Richland counties. Heavy rain led to flooding, with water covering roadways near Varnville in Hampton County and near Elgin in Kershaw County. By Wednesday morning, CoCoRaHS observers and personal weather stations in parts of the Lowcountry measured between two and three inches of rain. The weak trough settled over the area on Thursday and continued to trigger showers and thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and evening. Some storms interacted with the inland-moving sea breeze, bringing heavy rain, frequent lightning, and damaging winds across portions of the Coastal Plain. Up to six inches of rain fell in parts of Beaufort and Jasper counties, and an NWS storm survey team from the Charleston Office confirmed that an EF0 tornado touched down in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in Jasper County on Thursday evening.
The upper trough moved north of the region on Friday and was replaced by a weak ridge. An unsettled weather pattern continued through the weekend. High temperatures were slightly cooler than usual, with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. Thunderstorms on Friday evening caused wind damage in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, and the NWS station at Charleston International Airport recorded a wind gust of 48 mph. Two structures caught fire after being struck by lightning in Dorchester County. Temperatures increased on Saturday and Sunday, with hot and humid conditions bringing heat index values near 100 degrees. Rain chances decreased; however, typical summer patterns led to some isolated and scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoons and evenings.
(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 | 0.15 | 20.89 | -4.6 |
| Greer Airport | 1.26 | 27.35 | 1.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.13 | 19.15 | -4.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 2.86 | 26.58 | 2.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 3.76 | 31.54 | 4.6 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.62 | 24.59 | 0.4 |
| Florence Airport | 0.10 | 19.74 | -3.2 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.38 | 20.28 | -1.5 | Charleston Air Force Base | 1.82 | 20.43 | -4.9 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 2.85 | 23.96 | -1.7 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia: 80 degrees. Barnwell: 76 degrees. Mullins: 74 degrees.
Rainfall totals during the period ranged from less than a tenth of an inch in parts of Lancaster and York counties near the Charlotte metropolitan area to over six inches in sections of Aiken and Beaufort counties. Localized showers and thunderstorms throughout the period contributed to the totals, as no widespread rain event occurred. The U.S. Drought Monitor map, released on Thursday, July 10, showed the introduction of abnormally dry (D0) conditions in Chester, Chesterfield, Edgefield, Lancaster, McCormick, and York counties.
The 14-day average streamflow values at many gauges across the state continued to show normal to above-normal levels. With more than six inches of rain falling in parts of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin in North Carolina during the previous period from Tropical Storm Chantal, the river height gauges on the Lumber River near Nichols and the Little Pee Dee River near Galivants Ferry recorded heights holding steady in the action stage. However, the 14-day average streamflow at gauges in the headwaters of the Saluda and Broad rivers showed below-normal values. Elsewhere across the state, river and tidal height reports indicated levels below the action stage.
