Minimum temperature records were broken at multiple stations on Monday, April 7, as morning lows dropped into the upper 60s, up to twenty degrees above normal. Most locations set new high minimum temperature records, surpassing those set back in 2023 by two to five degrees. During late Monday afternoon, a slow-moving cold front brought strong thunderstorms and locally heavy rain to the region. Over an inch of rain was reported in portions of the Midlands and Upstate, with some isolated reports exceeding two inches. Thunderstorm wind gusts reached up to 60 mph Monday night along the Charleston County coast. Behind the cold front, surface high pressure introduced cooler and drier air into the region for mid-week. High temperatures peaked in the upper 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday. With clear skies, temperatures dropped into the mid to upper 30s across portions of the Midlands and Upstate on Wednesday morning.
A cold front approached the region, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms to the state late Thursday. Golf ball-sized hail was reported in Oconee County, and strong thunderstorms produced winds that brought down trees and power lines in the western parts of Anderson County Thursday evening. The front slowly advanced through the region, with pea-to-quarter-sized hail reported in portions of Calhoun, Fairfield, Greenville, Lee, Lancaster, Richland, Spartanburg, and Sumter counties as thunderstorms swept across the state late Friday afternoon. Minor wind damage was reported in the towns of Coward and Effingham in Florence County.
Behind the cold front, high and low temperatures on Saturday were between ten and fifteen degrees below normal. Morning lows ranged from the upper 30s in the Upstate to the upper 40s near the coast, while maximum temperatures reached the low to mid-60s. Cooler-than-normal temperatures persisted into Sunday. Morning low temperatures dipped into the low to mid-30s across much of the state, as much as fifteen degrees below normal. Under sunny skies and plenty of sunshine, high temperatures rose into the upper 60s, still up to five degrees below normal.
(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 | 0.92 | 11.04 | -2.8 |
| Greer Airport | 2.58 | 12.92 | -1.4 |
| Charlotte, NC Airport | 2.23 | 9.67 | -2.6 |
| Columbia Metro Airport | 2.08 | 9.23 | -2.6 |
| Orangeburg 2 (COOP) | 0.95 | 10.11 | -3.0 |
| Augusta, GA Airport | 1.08 | 10.98 | -2.1 |
| Florence Airport | 1.18 | 9.02 | -1.7 |
| North Myrtle Beach Airport | 1.09 | 6.96 | -4.1 | Charleston Air Force Base | 0.80 | 6.04 | -5.3 |
| Savannah, GA Airport | 0.18 | 6.81 | -4.4 |
| *Weekly precipitation totals ending midnight Sunday. M - denotes total with missing values. s - denotes total with suspect data. |
4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia: 63 degrees. Barnwell: 57 degrees. Mullins: 63 degrees.
Areas north and west of the Interstate 20 and 77 corridors received over an inch of rain. At the same time, locations along Interstate 85 and in the Central Savannah River Area and Midlands recorded more than two inches. Some stations in Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick, and Saluda counties reported over three inches of rain. Most of the Coastal Plain recorded between half an inch and an inch of rain, with some isolated locations reporting over an inch of rain during the period. The U.S. Drought Monitor map, released on Thursday, April 10, indicated that drought conditions had improved across portions of the state, mainly north of the Fall Line and in the Upper Savannah River Basin, due partly to the rainfall earlier in the week. Severe drought (D2) conditions improved in Edgefield and McCormick counties, and moderate drought (D1) conditions improved widely in the Upstate. Elsewhere in the state, drought conditions remained unchanged.
With higher rainfall totals falling across most of the state’s river basins' headwaters, the 14-day average streamflow values increased, but many locations remained below normal flow values. The height levels at the river and the tidal gauges remained below the flood stage.
