The week started with a frontal boundary continuing to push toward the coast, and a dry and cool high pressure moving into the area to dominate the weather pattern. The National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Weather Stations across the state reported morning low temperatures on Monday, October 29, that ranged from the mid-40's in the Upstate to near 50 degrees along the coast, with maximum temperatures in the low to mid-70's. After a few weeks of up and down swings with the temperatures, these temperatures were near normal for this time of year. On Tuesday morning, the NWS station in Santuck (Union County) recorded a low temperature of 37 degrees, which was 10 degrees cooler than the normal value of 47 degrees. Other stations across the state reported morning low temperatures about 5 to 10 degrees below their climatological average, and some Piedmont and Upstate locations observed patchy frost. Otherwise, the quiet conditions prevailed across the Palmetto state, with plenty of sunshine and high temperatures in the upper 60's to low 70's.
As a cold front approached the Upstate, the high pressure centered over the state began to gradually move off the coast on Wednesday, October 3, and a weak southerly flow started to bring moisture back into the area. For the third day in a row, most of the NWS stations and CoCoRaHS stations reported no measurable precipitation, and the handful of stations that did report rainfall had less than 0.05 inches. Even though some of the NWS stations in the Central Savannah River Area started the morning with cooler than normal minimum temperatures, in the low to mid 40's, many of them recorded high temperatures in the lower 80's. With beneficial rainfall across the Upstate during the prior 10-day period, the Thursday, November 1, release of the National Drought Monitor removed the dry conditions (D0) in Oconee, Anderson, Abbeville, McCormick and Edgefield counties. However, dry (D0) to moderate (D1) drought conditions were still reported in portions of the Lowcountry counties, especially along the coast of Beaufort and Jasper counties and inland to include Allendale and Hampton counties.
The frontal system began impacting the state on November 1, and ahead of the front, stations in the Lowcountry, Midlands and Pee Dee measured high temperatures in the 80's. The NWS station at the Charleston International Airport recorded the 7th warmest November 1st in its 89-year period of record. In the Piedmont and Upstate, cloudy conditions gave way to showers and a few thunderstorms during the afternoon as the front moved through the region. The Greenville-Spartanburg Airport reported wind gusts of 25 mph. The front continued to track over the state on Friday, November 2, as the Florence Regional Airport measured wind gusts of 20 mph, and 30-mph gusts were observed at both the Charleston International Airport and the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The total rainfall from the event ranged from up to 1.50 inches in the Upstate and portions of the Midlands to less than 0.50 inches in the coastal counties. As the front exited the state, the remaining clouds that followed produced a vivid sunset during Friday evening.
Clear and cooler conditions took hold for the weekend, as another area of high pressure built in behind the cold front on Saturday, November 3. Morning temperatures across the state started in the 40's, with the NWS station at the Georgetown County Airport reporting the warmest low temperature of 50 degrees. The afternoon high temperatures on Saturday topped out in the mid to upper 60's. During the early morning of Sunday, November 4, Daylight Saving Time ended, and clocks were turned back one hour, signaling the start of Standard Time, which lasts until March 2019. Low and high temperatures were near normal as moisture started to increase over the region on Sunday evening. Portions of the coast picked up almost an inch of rainfall from the trough and warm front associated with a wave of low pressure near the coast. Rain chances would increase across the state ahead of a strong cold front that would impact the region at the beginning of the next week.
(Note: The highest and lowest official temperatures and highest precipitation totals provided below are based on observations from the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer network and the National Weather Service's Forecast Offices.)| Weekly* | Since Jan 1 | Departure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Airport | 0.69 | 45.76 | 8.8 |
| Greer Airport | 0.68 | 48.87 | 9.1 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.58 | 46.78 | 11.1 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 1.14 | 36.86 | -2.1 |
| Orangeburg Airport | 0.28 | 36.32 | -4.5 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 0.49 | 43.41 | 5.7 |
| Florence Airport | 0.16 | 47.34+ | 9.8 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.38 | 55.09 | 9.2 |
| Charleston Air Force Base | 0.97 | 43.45 | -2.4 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.60 | 31.83 | -11.1 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. |
| + - Corrected value based on adjust value from October 16. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Clinton: 59 degrees. Columbia: 63 degrees. Barnwell: 58 degrees. Mullins: 66 degrees.
Rainfall over the seven-day period was concentrated in the Upstate and along the Interstate 20 corridor. Most of the rainfall came as a cold front moved across the state on Thursday and Friday. The light to moderate intensity of the rainfall did not cause any significant flash flooding or river flooding issues. Streamflow values increased in the Saluda River at Greenville and downstream at Chappells, due to the rainfall. Most of the rivers within the Pee Dee continued to report streamflow values much above normal, while other rivers across the state had streamflow values near normal for this time of year.
Charleston Harbor (CHTS1): 68.2 degrees.
Capers Nearshore Buoy (Station 41029): 69.1 degrees.
Fripps Nearshore Buoy (Station 41033): Not Available.
The average temperatures for October 2018 were the fourth warmest on record in Charleston and the fifth warmest on record in Columbia, and the seventh warmest in Greenville-Spartanburg. The monthly total precipitation for the month ranked as the eighth wettest at Columbia and the ninth wettest at the Greenville-Spartanburg stations. The rainfall from Hurricane Michael, as it passed through the state on October 11, produced over 4 inches at both of those stations, which contributed to the high monthly total.
Midlands: Columbia Metro Airport
Pee Dee: Florence Airport
Lowcountry: North Charleston Airport
Statewide
