On Monday, March 31, clearing skies ahead of a line of thunderstorms allowed the air mass to destabilize, and severe storms moved through the state mid-afternoon and early evening. There were scattered reports of wind damage from thunderstorms across the state, including portions of the Upstate and Lowcountry. Storm spotters reported quarter-sized hail in Branchville and golf ball-sized hail in Eutawville. A thunderstorm wind gust of 48 mph was reported at Lake Moultrie, and a 51 mph gust was measured at the Springmaid Pier.
Dew points decreased, and the wind shifted from the west to the north as a reinforcing front moved through the state, helping clear out the low-level clouds by mid-afternoon on Tuesday. High pressure over the region would keep the area dry, with unseasonably warm temperatures through the weekend, with low temperatures up to 25 degrees above normal, while high temperatures were up to 20 degrees above normal. There were 43 daily record high minimum temperatures broken and 12 tied from Thursday through Saturday. The National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport reported a minimum temperature of 71 degrees on Thursday (4/3) and Friday (4/4), which broke the previous records of 65 and 66 degrees set in 1974. The warm weather continued on Saturday, and the NWS station at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport recorded a maximum temperature of 88 degrees, which tied the daily record high temperature set in 2010. Thunderstorms developed on Sunday afternoon ahead of a cold front, and a few storms produced locally heavy rain across portions of the Upstate.
(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 | 1.51 | 10.12 | -2.9 |
| Greer Airport | 0.69 | 10.34 | -2.9 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 0.65 | 7.44 | -3.9 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 0.24 | 7.15 | -3.9 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | M | M | M |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.17 | 9.90 | -2.4 |
| Florence Airport | 0.16 | 7.84 | -2.0 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 0.55 | 5.87 | -4.5 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.47 | 5.24 | -5.2 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.20 | 6.63 | -3.7 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia: 70 degrees. Barnwell: Not Available. Mullins: 69 degrees.
Most of the state, north and west of the Interstate 20 and Interstate 77 corridors, recorded over half an inch of rain, with portions of the Upper Savannah River Basin receiving more than two inches of rain. Parts of the Coastal Plain recorded more than half an inch of rain, with some isolated locations reporting over an inch of rain during the period. However, most of the interior portion of the Pee Dee recorded totals less than half an inch. The U.S. Drought Monitor map, released on Thursday, April 3, indicated that drought conditions had worsened due to the lack of precipitation, windy conditions, and low humidity. The area of severe drought (D2) along the Grand Strand increased and expanded into northern Charleston County, while moderate drought (D1) conditions expanded in northern Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, and Spartanburg counties. A burn ban remained in effect for five counties due to the lack of beneficial rain, low humidity, and windy conditions that helped fuel wildfires.
Even with rainfall during the period, the lack of beneficial rainfall over multiple periods continued to cause the 14-day average streamflow values in the Broad, Saluda, and Upper Savannah River basins to remain below normal. Smaller tributaries of the Saluda and Savannah rivers, such as the Little River at Silverstreet and Twelve Mile Creek near Liberty, registered flows well below normal. At the same time, some gauges in the Broad basin, including the Enoree River at Whitmire and the Tyger River near Delta, showed slight improvements in streamflow. Most of the gauges south of the Fall Line saw a decrease in streamflow values within the normal range; others reported values at the lower end of the normal range, with a few recording values that were below normal. The height levels at the river and the tidal gauges remained below the flood stage.
