National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
634 AM EST APR 3 2013

...AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR MARCH COLDER THAN JANUARY...
...8TH COLDEST MARCH ON RECORD AT AUGUSTA...
...TRACE OF SNOWFALL REPORTED ON MARCH 2ND...
...EF1 TORNADO IN BURKE COUNTY ON THE 18TH...


THE WEATHER PATTERN REMAINED QUITE ACTIVE FROM FEBRUARY INTO MARCH
ACROSS THE REGION. ALTHOUGH RAINFALL WAS NOT NEARLY AS HEAVY AS
FEBRUARY...MANY AREAS RECEIVED NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE
MONTH. TEMPERATURES WERE WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH...WITH
MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AROUND 5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT BOTH AUGUSTA AND COLUMBIA FOR MARCH WAS BELOW
THE VERY WARM AVERAGE TEMPERATURES DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY. A
LOOK AT THE NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION (NAO) AND THE ARCTIC
OSCILLATION (AO) SHOW NEGATIVE VALUES THAT BEGAN IN FEBRUARY AND
CONTINUED INTO MARCH EVEN BECOMING MORE NEGATIVE. NEGATIVE VALUES OF
THESE OSCILLATIONS ARE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH COLDER THAN NORMAL
CONDITIONS ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY. MARCH ALSO
BROUGHT THE AREAS MOST WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OF THE
SEASON OCCURRING ON THE EVENING OF THE 18TH.

HERE ARE THE TOP 10 COLDEST MARCH'S ON RECORD AT AUGUSTA:

1.  44.5 DEGREES IN 1960
2.  47.3 DEGREES IN 1915
3.  48.6 DEGREES IN 1947
4.  49.8 DEGREES IN 1971
5.  50.0 DEGREES IN 1926 AND 1969
7.  50.5 DEGREES IN 1941
8.  50.8 DEGREES IN 2013
9.  51.0 DEGREES IN 1885
10. 51.1 DEGREES IN 1996
 

TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW NORMAL FOR MUCH OF THE MONTH AT BOTH AUGUSTA
AND COLUMBIA. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT AUGUSTA REGIONAL BUSH FIELD
WAS 50.8 DEGREES OR 5.1 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 55.9 DEGREES.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT WAS 51.0 DEGREES
OR 4.6 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 55.6 DEGREES.

PRECIPITATION WAS NEAR OR A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL AT BOTH AUGUSTA AND
COLUMBIA FOR THE MONTH. HOWEVER...SOME AREAS OF THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH
RIVER AREA RECEIVED BETWEEN 3 AND 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL FOR THE
MONTH. THE TOTAL RAINFALL AT AUGUSTA REGIONAL BUSH FIELD WAS 3.11
INCHES OR 1.07 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 4.18 INCHES. THE TOTAL
RAINFALL AT COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT WAS 3.65 INCHES OR 0.08 INCHES
BELOW THE NORMAL OF 3.73 INCHES.

HERE ARE SOME OF RAINFALL TOTALS FROM OUR COCORAHS AND NWS COOP
OBSERVERS:

COCORAHS:

SC-OR-18 ORANGEBURG 2.8 N.....7.61 INCHES
SC-LX-43 LEXINGTON 1.2 SW.....6.52 INCHES
SC-MC-5  MCCORMICK 2.3 W......5.46 INCHES
SC-LX-61 IRMO 2.1 SW..........5.32 INCHES
SC-BW-3  BARNWELL 1.2 WSW.....4.93 INCHES

NWS COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS:

WAYNESBORO (WYNG1)............4.66 INCHES
PELION 4 NW (PLNS1)...........3.98 INCHES
SALUDA WATER PLANT (SADS1)....3.94 INCHES
MCCORMICK (MCCS1).............3.78 INCHES
LAKE GREENWOOD (CHPS1)........3.66 INCHES


EVENTS DURING MARCH:

MARCH 2ND...A DEEP UPPER LEVEL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED ACROSS THE
UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. THIS SYSTEM PRODUCED MEASURABLE SNOW IN
THE NORTHERN PIEDMONT...BUT ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW WAS REPORTED IN
LANCASTER AND FAIRFIELD COUNTIES.

MARCH 13TH...A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT BEHIND A COLD FRONT PRODUCED
STRONG WIND GUSTS ACROSS THE AREA. WIND GUST RANGED FROM 30 TO 40
MPH.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST WIND GUSTS:

WILLIAMS BRICE STADIUM (RICHLAND CO. MESONET)...46 MPH
LAKE MURRAY FLOTILLA ISLAND (LMFS1)(NWS OB).....37 MPH
MCENTIRE ANG (MMT)..............................37 MPH
LAKE THURMOND DAM (CHDS1) (NWS OB)..............36 MPH
COLUMBIA HAMILTON-OWENS DOWNTOWN AIRPORT (CUB)..36 MPH
SHAW AFB (SSC)..................................36 MPH
LAKE MURRAY DAM (RICHLAND CO. MESONET)..........36 MPH
PINE VIEW-GARNERS FERRY (RICHLAND CO. MESONET)..36 MPH

MARCH 18TH...A SQUALL LINE DEVELOPED AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD
FRONT DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THIS LINE OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED WINDS UP TO 75 MPH ALONG WITH NUMEROUS
REPORTS OF TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ACROSS MUCH OF THE MIDLANDS
AND CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA. A CELL THAT MERGED WITH THE LINE
ACROSS BURKE COUNTY GEORGIA PRODUCED AN EF1 TORNADO THAT TOUCHED
DOWN ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WAYNESBORO. THE TORNADO TRACK WAS
JUST UNDER 6 MILES WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 220 YARDS. THE TORNADO
TOOK DOWN NUMEROUS TREES...SEVERELY DAMAGED FIELD IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
AND DESTROYED CATTLE BARNS AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT BUILDINGS AT SEVERAL
LOCATIONS. THE TORNADO ALSO KILLED 3 CATTLE AND INJURED SEVERAL
OTHERS. THE SAME STORM ALSO PRODUCED 1 INCH HAIL. ACROSS THE
CENTRAL...SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MIDLANDS THERE WERE NUMEROUS REPORTS
OF TREES AND POWERLINES DOWNED BY WIND GUSTS UP TO 75 MPH.

MARCH 24TH...LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PRODUCED
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE REGION. RAINFALL AMOUNTS RANGED FROM 2
TO 2 1/2 INCHES. THE HEAVY RAIN PRODUCED SOME MINOR FLOODING ALONG
STEVENS CREEK AT MODOC. STEVENS CREEK CRESTED AT 22.2 FEET AND FLOOD
STAGE IS 19.0 FEET.

HERE ARE SOME RAINFALL TOTALS FROM THE EVENT:

WAYNESBORO (WYNG1) (NWS COOP)..........2.57 INCHES
LAKE THURMOND (LCSS1)..................2.48 INCHES
8 ENE PLUM BRANCH (LCRS1)..............2.48 INCHES
MONETTA 7 S (MCTS1)....................2.46 INCHES
MCTIER CREEK MONETTA (MCTS1)...........2.39 INCHES
EDGEFIELD (EGFS1)......................2.38 INCHES
COLUMBIA HAMILTON-OWENS FIELD (CUB)....2.37 INCHES
KIOKEE CREEK EVANS (EVNG1).............2.35 INCHES

MARCH 25TH...A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT BEHIND A COLD FRONT PRODUCED
STRONG WIND GUSTS ACROSS THE AREA. WIND GUST RANGED FROM 35 TO 45
MPH.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST WIND GUSTS:

AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD (AGS)................45 MPH
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT (CAE)............45 MPH
MCENTIRE ANG (MMT)......................44 MPH
2 E CANE SAVANNAH (SUMTER CO.)..........44 MPH
ORANGEBURG COUNTY AIRPORT (OGB).........41 MPH
2 N BELVEDERE (AIKEN CO.)...............41 MPH
LAKE WATEREE (WATS1)....................41 MPH
 


BELOW ARE THE HIGHEST RECORDED WIND GUSTS DURING THE MONTH:

AUGUSTA REGIONAL BUSH FIELD (AGS).......58 MPH ON THE 18TH
AUGUSTA DANIEL FIELD (DNL)..............49 MPH ON THE 18TH
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT (CAE)............49 MPH ON THE 18TH
ORANGEBURG COUNTY AIRPORT (OGB).........46 MPH ON THE 18TH
COLUMBIA HAMILTON-OWENS AIRPORT (CUB)...44 MPH ON THE 18TH



RECORDS TIED OR BROKEN DURING THE MONTH AT COLUMBIA:
NONE...

RECORDS TIED OR BROKEN DURING THE MONTH AT AUGUSTA:
NONE...



YEAR TO DATE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION STATISTICS...

COLUMBIA SC METROPOLITAN AIRPORT 2012 MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL...

          AVG HIGH/DEP   AVG LOW/DEP   AVG TEMP   NORM  DEPARTURE
JAN 2012  61.8/+5.8      36.9/+3.2      49.4      44.8    +4.6
FEB       64.1/+3.8      40.3/+3.5      52.2      48.5    +3.7
MAR       77.7/+9.5      53.2/+10.2     65.4      55.6    +9.8
APR       79.3/+3.0      54.7/+4.3      67.0      63.4    +3.6
MAY       85.8/+2.0      64.9/+5.4      75.4      71.7    +3.7
JUN       88.4/-1.6      66.6/-1.6      77.5      79.1    -1.6
JUL       95.8/+3.1      74.2/+2.6      85.0      82.2    +2.8
AUG       89.5/-1.2      71.3/+0.3      80.4      80.8    -0.4
SEP       85.9/+0.7      65.1/+0.9      75.5      74.7    +0.8
OCT       76.6/+0.5      53.4/+1.3      65.0      64.1    +0.9      
NOV       65.5/-1.8      42.3/-3.9      52.0      54.8    -2.8
DEC       63.2/+5.0      41.9/+6.6      52.5      46.7    +5.8

2012 AVERAGE TEMPERATURE                66.5      63.9    +2.4

JAN 2013  64.0/+8.0      41.1/+7.4      52.5      44.8    +7.7
FEB       59.2/-1.1      36.2/-0.6      47.7      48.5    -0.8
MAR       63.5/-4.7      38.5/-4.5      51.0      55.6    -4.6

AUGUSTA GA BUSH FIELD 2012 MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND
DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL...

          AVG HIGH/DEP   AVG LOW/DEP  AVG TEMP    NORM  DEPARTURE
JAN 2012  63.4/+5.5      34.3/+1.5     48.8       45.4    +3.4
FEB       65.6/+3.3      39.1/+3.2     52.4       49.1    +3.3
MAR       77.0/+7.1      51.0/+9.0     64.0       55.9    +8.1  
APR       79.4/+2.0      51.3/+3.2     65.4       62.7    +2.7
MAY       86.0/+1.0      61.6/+4.3     73.8       71.1    +2.7
JUN       87.6/-3.4      61.8/-4.4     74.7       78.6    -3.9
JUL       96.0/+2.6      71.5/+1.7     83.7       81.6    +2.1
AUG       88.6/-3.2      69.0/-0.3     78.8       80.5    -1.7
SEP       85.4/-1.3      62.2/-0.4     73.8       74.9    -0.8
OCT       77.4/-0.3      52.0/+1.0     64.7       64.4    +0.3    
NOV       65.7/-3.4      41.4/-5.3     50.9       55.2    -4.3
DEC       62.7/+2.7      39.3/+4.8     51.0       47.2    +3.8

2012 AVERAGE TEMPERATURE               65.2       63.9    +1.3

JAN 2013 65.4/+7.5       39.4/+6.6     52.4       45.4    +7.0
FEB      59.8/-2.5       35.5/-0.4     47.6       49.1    -1.5
MAR      63.8/-6.1       37.9/-4.1     50.8       55.9    -5.1


COLUMBIA SC METROPOLITAN AIRPORT 2012 MONTHLY PRECIPITATION...

               TOTAL   NORMAL  DEPARTURE
              (INCHES)
JAN 2012       1.76     3.58    -1.82
FEB            2.46     3.61    -1.15
MAR            2.21     3.73    -1.52
APR            2.28     2.62    -0.34
MAY            4.71     2.97    +1.74
JUN            4.18     4.69    -0.51
JUL            6.96     5.46    +1.50
AUG            9.81     5.26    +4.55
SEP            1.84     3.54    -1.70
OCT            1.42     3.17    -1.75
NOV            1.62     2.74    -1.12
DEC            3.51     3.22    +0.29

2012 TOTAL    42.76    44.59    -1.83

JAN 2013       1.21     3.58    -2.37
FEB            5.51     3.61    +1.90
MAR            3.65     3.73    -0.08


AUGUSTA GA BUSH FIELD 2012 MONTHLY PRECIPITATION...

               TOTAL   NORMAL   DEPARTURE  
              (INCHES)  
JAN 2012       1.40     3.91     -2.51
FEB            1.12     3.92     -2.80
MAR            2.28     4.18     -1.90
APR            1.45     2.84     -1.39
MAY            4.56     2.65     +1.91
JUN            2.48     4.72     -2.24
JUL            1.54     4.33     -2.79
AUG           12.28     4.32     +7.96
SEP            1.84     3.22     -1.38
OCT            1.36     3.27     -1.91
NOV            1.10     2.82     -1.72
DEC            4.67     3.39     +1.28

2012 TOTAL    36.08    43.57     -7.49

JAN 2013       0.60     3.91     -3.31
FEB            9.40     3.92     +5.48
MAR            3.11     4.18     -1.07

OUTLOOK FOR APRIL...

THE FORECAST CALLS FOR A 33 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND NEARLY EQUAL CHANCE OF ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH. THIS MEANS THAT THERE IS A CLIMATE
SIGNAL THAT TEMPERATURES WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL...HOWEVER THERE IS
NOT A CLEAR CLIMATE SIGNAL TO INDICATE WETTER OR DRIER CONDITIONS
THROUGH THE MONTH.  


.NOTE...
MUCH APPRECIATION GOES OUT TO OUR NWS COOPERATIVE WEATHER
OBSERVERS...COCORAHS (COMMUNITY...COLLABORATIVE...RAIN...HAIL AND
SNOW NETWORK) OBSERVERS...SOUTHEAST REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER AND
LOCAL WEATHER PARTNERS FOR THE DATA THEY PROVIDE THROUGHOUT THE
YEAR. THEIR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION IS INVALUABLE.

TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR COLUMBIA GO BACK TO 1887 AND FOR AUGUSTA  
BACK TO 1873. PRECIPITATION RECORDS FOR COLUMBIA GO BACK TO 1878 AND
FOR AUGUSTA BACK TO 1871.

ADDITIONAL CLIMATE INFORMATION...INCLUDING CURRENT AND
ARCHIVED DAILY AND MONTHLY SUMMARIES...CAN BE FOUND ON THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC HOME PAGE AT
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CAE .

$$
VAUGHAN