The Bermuda High kept the area hot and muggy on Monday, July 14, with maximum temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s, and daily highs up to ten degrees above normal in the Upstate. These temperatures, combined with high humidity, caused heat indices ranging from 100 to 105 degrees. The pattern was characterized by isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms each afternoon and evening throughout much of the period. A strong thunderstorm in Bamberg County produced minor wind damage and heavy rain near Denmark. On Tuesday, an upper trough moved to the north of our region, bringing more afternoon showers and storms.
While Wednesday, July 16, saw afternoon temperatures closer to normal for mid-July, morning lows were up to five degrees above average, with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s, and some locations experiencing lows over 80 degrees. The National Weather Service (NWS) station in downtown Charleston recorded a new record high minimum temperature of 83 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 82 degrees set in 2021. A storm Wednesday evening near Clio in Marlboro County produced strong winds that broke several large limbs and uprooted a tree. The ridge returned over the region on Thursday, bringing warmer temperatures and lower chances of rain.
Maximum temperatures on Friday afternoon rose into the mid-to-upper 90s. Dangerous heat and humidity over the weekend caused heat indices to reach up to 110 degrees, leading to heat advisories for parts of the state. Isolated and scattered showers occurred each afternoon. Some storms became strong, causing wind damage in Beaufort County, and there were reports of heavy rain that caused standing water on King and Huger Streets in downtown Charleston. Overall, the weather pattern remained steady, with a deep high-pressure system centered over the western Atlantic expanding across the region. This pattern supported isolated and scattered showers and thunderstorms but kept many areas dry for the rest of the weekend. Temperatures climbed into the upper 90s, and heat index values across the Coastal Plain reached 110 degrees.
(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 | 0.17 | 21.06 | -5.3 |
| Greer Airport | 0.14 | 27.49 | 0.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.77 | 19.92 | -4.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.16 | 26.74 | 1.7 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.13 | 31.67 | 3.4 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.07 | 24.66 | -0.5 |
| Florence Airport | 0.05 | 19.79 | -4.5 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.05 | 20.33 | -2.7 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.11 | 20.54 | -6.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 1.64 | 25.60 | -1.3 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia: 82 degrees. Barnwell: 79 degrees. Mullins: 76 degrees.
Localized showers and thunderstorms throughout the period contributed to the totals, as no widespread rain event occurred. Rainfall totals ranged from less than a tenth of an inch in parts of Abbeville, Greenwood, and McCormick counties to as much as three inches in isolated areas of the Coastal Plain and at higher elevations in Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens counties. The U.S. Drought Monitor map, released on Thursday, July 17, continued to show abnormally dry (D0) conditions in Chester, Chesterfield, Edgefield, Lancaster, McCormick, and York counties.
Due to the lack of widespread rainfall, the 14-day average streamflow values at many gauges in the headwaters of the Saluda and Broad rivers are now reporting below normal. Some gauges in the Pee Dee continue to report above-normal streamflow as the water associated with Tropical Storm Chantal continued to drain through the basin. Elsewhere across the state, river and tidal height reports indicate levels below the action stage.
