Public Information Statement National Weather Service Columbia SC 1237 PM EDT Wed May 15 2019 ...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...April 2019 Climate Summary... ...Snow to Tornadoes for the Palmetto State... ...Early April Snow Across Lancaster, Chesterfield and Fairfield Counties... ...5 Tornadoes Touched Down on the 19th... ...Cold Morning Across the Midlands and CSRA on the 16th... ...Minor Flooding Occurred Along the Congaree and Pee Dee River... ...Above Normal Temperatures for the month... ...Near Normal Precipitation for the month... Storm systems brought severe weather and locally heavy rainfall to the region during the month of April. One unique event was the snow event across northern Lancaster County into northwestern Chesterfield County on the morning of the 2nd. During the afternoon of the 19th, 5 tornadoes touched down across the Midlands. Heavy rainfall across the headwaters produced minor river flooding along the Congaree River and the Great Pee Dee River from the 14th through the 22nd. Temperatures averaged between 1 and 3 degrees above normal. Rainfall was just slightly above normal across most of the area. .Augusta Average Temperatures... The average temperature at Augusta Regional Bush Field for April was 66.0 degrees or 3.3 degrees above the normal of 62.7 degrees. .Columbia Average Temperatures... The average temperature at Columbia Metro Airport for April was 65.3 degrees or 1.9 degrees above the normal of 63.4 degrees. .Augusta Rainfall... Augusta Bush Field received 3.01 inches of rainfall during April, 0.17 inches above the normal of 2.84 inches. .Columbia Rainfall... Columbia Metro Airport received 2.86 inches of rainfall during April, 0.24 inches above the normal of 2.62 inches. Here are some of the highest official NWS Coop Observer monthly rainfall totals for April 2019: HHLS1 Holly Hill 1 SW.........4.67 inches CTFT1 Chesterfield 3 E........4.65 inches WGRS1 Wagener 1 SW............4.64 inches CEWS1 Cheraw Water Plant......4.40 inches PLNS1 Pelion 0.8 NW...........4.31 inches Here are some of the highest unofficial CoCoRaHS monthly rainfall totals for April 2019: SC-LN-2 Fort Mill 3.5 ENE....5.82 inches SC-OR-17 Orangeburg 3.2 NW...5.13 inches SC-CD-6 Manning 1.9 SSE.....4.83 inches SC-OR-11 Neeses 7.0 SE.......4.69 inches SC-AK-39 N. Augusta 1.5 WSW..4.67 inches GA-CU-21 Martinez 3.0 NE.....4.64 inches GA-RC-12 Augusta 4.2 W.......4.63 inches GA-MD-1 Thomson 2.5 S.......3.98 inches GA-BK-9 S. Augusta 4.1 S....3.62 inches GA-LC-2 Tignall 10.2 NE.....2.45 inches Highest Wind Gusts at ASOS Sites during April: Orangeburg County Airport (OGB).......60 mph on the 19th Columbia Metro Airport (CAE)..........53 mph on the 14th Columbia Hamilton Owens Field (CUB)...51 mph on the 19th Augusta Bush Field (AGS)..............40 mph on the 26th Augusta Daniel Field (DNL)............37 mph on the 8th Highest Wind Gusts on the area lakes during April: Lake Wateree Dam (WATS1)..............50 mph on the 26th Lake Murray Flotilla Island (LMFS1)...46 mph on the 18th Lake Murray Towers USGS (IRMS1).......43 mph on the 8th Lake Thurmond Dam (CHDS1).............42 mph on the 15th Lake Murray Water Temperatures (near surface) at The Towers for April: Warmest...72.7F on the 25th Coolest...54.3F on the 2nd TEMPERATURE/PRECIPITATION RECORDS TIED OR BROKEN DURING THE MONTH OF April: Augusta... None COLUMBIA... None Events for April 2019... 2nd, Spring snow event across Lancaster, Chesterfield and Fairfield Counties... An area of low pressure developed off the Southeast coast as cold high pressure continued to wedge in from the north and northeast. This system was associated with a cold pool of air that moved across the region. A mixture of rain and snow that turned to all snow for a period occurred across Lancaster, Chesterfield and Fairfield Counties. Many areas only saw the snow melt as it fell, but across the panhandle of Lancaster County along the North Carolina line, some places received one tenth of an inch to more than one quarter inch of snow. The snow covered vehicles, decks, grass and even some roadways. The most snow that was measured was near the Indian Land Community where just under one half inch of snow was measured. 13th-22nd, Minor River Flooding... Minor flooding occurred along the Congaree River and Great Pee Dee River during the middle of April. A slow moving cold front that passed the area on the 13th was followed by an area of low pressure that moved northwest of the area on the 14th. This produced some locally heavy rainfall across the Appalachian Mountains and across portions of the western Carolinas. Rainfall amounts ranged from 1 to 3 inches. A second rain-maker for the area occurred on the 19th and 20th as a vigorous weather system moved across the Southeast. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches fell across the Appalachian Mountains. Along the Great Pee Dee River, the river crested at 33.04 feet on the evening of the 14th. Flood stage is 30.0 feet. Along the Congaree River at Carolina Eastman, the river crested at 115.42 feet on the morning of the 15th. At the Congaree NP-Gadsden, the river crested at 15.34 feet around noon of the 15th. Flood stage is 15.0 feet. Along the Congaree River at Carolina Eastman, the river crested at 115.0 feet during the evening of the 21st. At the Congaree NP-Gadsden, the river crested at 15.0 feet during the late morning hours of the 22nd. 16th, Seasonably Chilly Morning... Cold high pressure settled in across the Carolinas on the 15th and 16th behind a vigorous cold front. Temperatures fell into the middle 30s to lower 40s across the Midlands and Central Savannah River Area. Here are a few reports from the morning of the 16th... Location Temp Time/Date Provider Cedar Crk 35 F 0800 AM 04/16 COOP Graniteville 35 F 0731 AM 04/16 COOP 2 ESE Saluda 36 F 0640 AM 04/16 AWS Sumter Natl Forest 36 F 0700 AM 04/16 PUBLIC Landfill 37 F 0700 AM 04/16 RCWINDS Lake Greenwood 37 F 0800 AM 04/16 COOP Camden Woodward 37 F 0655 AM 04/16 AWOS Lancaster County Airport 37 F 0700 AM 04/16 ASOS Van Wyck 37 F 0700 AM 04/16 PUBLIC Lincolnton 37 F 0800 AM 04/16 COOP Mccrady Training Center 37 F 0733 AM 04/16 RAWS 3 SE Ridgeway 38 F 0734 AM 04/16 AWS Saluda 38 F 0640 AM 04/16 CWOP Dutch Fork HS 38 F 0700 AM 04/16 RCWINDS Taxahaw 38 F 0700 AM 04/16 PUBLIC Thomson-Mcduffie County Airp 38 F 0610 AM 04/16 AWOS Savriv 38 F 0707 AM 04/16 RAWS Saluda Water Plant 38 F 0700 AM 04/16 COOP Hopkins 39 F 0700 AM 04/16 RCWINDS Lexington 39 F 0630 AM 04/16 CWOP Richland Library Northeast 39 F 0700 AM 04/16 RCWINDS Lugoff 39 F 0700 AM 04/16 COOP Savannah Lakes Village 39 F 0700 AM 04/16 PUBLIC Columbia Metro Airport 40 F 0700 AM 04/16 ASOS Little Mountain 40 F 0700 AM 04/16 COOP Orangeburg 40 F 0731 AM 04/16 CWOP Long Cane 40 F 0512 AM 04/16 RAWS Johnston 40 F 0700 AM 04/16 COOP 1 S Pelion 40 F 0715 AM 04/16 AWS Irmo Fire District 40 F 0700 AM 04/16 RCWINDS Hephzibah 40 F 0700 AM 04/16 GAMESONET Wagener 1SW 40 F 0936 AM 04/16 COOP Mcentire Ang 40 F 0656 AM 04/16 AWOS 19th, Strong to Severe Thunderstorms Produce 5 Tornadoes Across the Midlands... A deep mid and upper level system and its associated surface area of low pressure produced strong to severe thunderstorms across the area on the afternoon of the 19th. The storms produced 5 tornadoes across the Midlands. There were two EF2 tornadoes, one in Orangeburg County near Rowesville and a second in Clarendon County near Lake Marion. The three remaining tornadoes were EF1`s. One was in Orangeburg County near Cameron, the second and third were in Newberry County. One was near Whitmire and the second near the Mollys Rock area. The severe storms downed powerlines along with numerous trees across the Midlands and Central Savannah River Area. A tree fell on a mobile home in Sumter County, nearly splitting the trailer in two. A young boy was injured by the fallen tree and later died from the injuries sustained. There was also an indirect fatality due to a traffic accident involving a vehicle that hydroplaned in the heavy rain near Fort Gordon at Augusta, Georgia. Some strong wind gusts were recorded with the event. At Shaw AFB, the ASOS recorded a peak wind gust of 63 mph. At the Orangeburg County Airport, the ASOS recorded a peak wind gust of 60 mph. At Hamilton Owens Field-Columbia, the ASOS recorded a peak wind gust of 52 mph. Here are the NWS Damage Surveys for each tornado: ...EF-2 Tornado South of Rowesville in Orangeburg County... Start Location...4 W Branchville in Orangeburg County SC End Location...3 NE Rowesville in Orangeburg County SC Date...04/19/2019 Estimated Time...01:48 PM EDT Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF2 Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...115 mph Maximum Path Width...300.0 yards Path Length...10.64 miles Beginning Lat/Lon...33.2693 / -80.8933 Ending Lat/Lon...33.3986 / -80.7946 * Fatalities...0 * Injuries...0 ...Summary... An EF-2 tornado touched down along the South Fork of the Edisto River near South River Road. The tornado then moved quickly to the north-northeast for nearly 11 miles, crossing Hudson Road near the north fork of the Edisto River, Calhoun Street, Highway 21 south of Rowesville and then lifted along Bethel Forest Road. The tornado did considerable damage, snapping and uprooting a large number of hardwood and softwood trees along its path. Several trees fell onto homes, vehicles and sheds. A metal shed was destroyed with debris spread over 50-100 yards. The tornado was on the ground for about 8 minutes. ...EF-1 Tornado East of Orangeburg and West of Cameron in Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties... Start Location...2 ENE Wilkinson Heights in Orangeburg County SC End Location...4 NW Cameron in Calhoun County SC Date...04/19/2019 Estimated Time...02:01 PM EDT Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1 Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...110 mph Maximum Path Width...400.0 yards Path Length...7.87 miles Beginning Lat/Lon...33.4939 / -80.7892 Ending Lat/Lon...33.6027 / -80.7521 * Fatalities...0 * Injuries...0 ...Summary... An EF-1 tornado touched down near the intersection of Old Elloree Road and Odell Drive. The tornado then moved quickly to the north-northeast for nearly 8 miles, crossing Cloverdale Lane, Gramling Road, Interstate 26, Glenzell Road, Cameron Road, Shulmer Road, and finally Mount Carmel Road. The tornado then moved into Calhoun County and crossed Church Camp Road and Belleville Road and lifted before reaching Highway 176. The tornado did considerable damage, snapping and uprooting a large number of hardwood and softwood trees along its path. Trees fell onto several mobile homes, destroying at least 2 of them. Walls collapsed on a cinder block garage with the metal roofing tossed across the roadway. At least one home had shingles removed from the roof. An agricultural center pivot irrigation system was also knocked over. The tornado was on the ground for about 8 minutes. ...EF-1 Tornado Southwest of Whitmire in Newberry County... Start Location...5 S Whitmire in Newberry County SC End Location...3 SSE Whitmire in Newberry County SC Date...04/19/2019 Estimated Time...02:07 PM EDT Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1 Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...105 mph Maximum Path Width...200.0 yards Path Length...1.97 miles Beginning Lat/Lon...34.4278 / -81.6193 Ending Lat/Lon...34.454 / -81.61 * Fatalities...0 * Injuries...0 ...Summary... An EF1 touched down near Asias Branch Road and moved quickly to the north-northeast. The tornado downed a few trees along with large branches near Asias Branch Road. The tornado continued toward Jeanette Road and then to Old Newberry Highway. The most extensive damage occurred along Old Newberry Highway near the intersection with Jeanette Road. The tornado completely destroyed a large 2 story chicken house that was constructed of oak beams and insulated with a tin roof. There were numerous trees damaged in this area. Some trees were snapped, uprooted and large limbs were blown off. A small out building sustained damage to the metal roof and siding. Another small shed behind a mobile home was moved two feet off of the foundation. There was damage to the under-pinning of the mobile home. ...EF-1 Tornado Near Mollys Rock Area in Newberry County... Start Location...8 NNE Newberry in Newberry County SC End Location...8 NNE Newberry in Newberry County SC Date...04/19/2019 Estimated Time...02:08 PM EDT Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1 Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...95 mph Maximum Path Width...25.0 yards Path Length...0.33 miles Beginning Lat/Lon...34.3812 / -81.5456 Ending Lat/Lon...34.386 / -81.5459 * Fatalities...0 * Injuries...0 ...Summary... An EF1 tornado briefly touched down between Highway 176 and Mollys Rock Road. After touching down along Highway 176, it moved quickly north to Mollys Rock Road. Most of the damage was restricted to a small area along Mollys Rock Road. At this location a several trees were damaged. There were three hardwood trees and one soft wood tree that were snapped. One large oak tree was snapped off near the ground and the other trees were snapped off about 15 to 20 feet above the ground. ..EF-2 Tornado Near Lake Marion in Clarendon County... Start Location...8 NNW Wilsons Landing in Clarendon County SC End Location...6 NW Wilsons Landing in Clarendon County SC Date...04/19/2019 Estimated Time...02:29 PM EDT Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF2 Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...120 mph Maximum Path Width...250.0 yards Path Length...2.91 miles Beginning Lat/Lon...33.5238 / -80.2198 Ending Lat/Lon...33.5609 / -80.1958 * Fatalities...0 * Injuries...0 ...Summary... The first point of damage was found at Camp Bob Cooper where there were multiple trees down across the camp. There was also damage to two docks and minor roof damage to one of the cabins. The tornado moved across a cove on Lake Marion to Lesesne Drive. There was widespread tree damage. Trees were either uprooted or snapped and fell on homes, vehicle and boats. It continued moving north- northeast to Patriot Road near Rockfish Drive. There were several mobile homes which sustained damage. One was completely destroyed with just the cinder block supports remaining. Another was partially destroyed with the backside addition of the home collapsed. The tornado continued northeast causing damage to trees and minor damage to homes along Malibu Drive and Beaver drive before lifting just past Durant Lane. 26th...Strong Wind Gusts... A strong area of low pressure moved northwest of the area on the 26th. Strong winds developed ahead and behind the cold front as it moved across the Midlands and CSRA. Here are a list of some of the highest wind gusts recorded: Location Speed Time Provider Lake Wateree Dam 50 MPH 550 PM MARITIME Columbia Metro Airport 46 MPH 405 PM ASOS Columbia Hamilton-Owens Apt 44 MPH 401 PM ASOS Augusta Bush 40 MPH 427 PM ASOS Orangeburg 38 MPH 451 PM ASOS Shaw AFB Sumter 38 MPH 444 PM AWOS Newberry 38 MPH 335 PM AWOS Camden Woodward 37 MPH 515 PM AWOS Aiken 36 MPH 335 PM AWOS Winnsboro 35 MPH 515 PM AWOS Santee Cooper Region Arpt 35 MPH 455 PM AWOS Sumter Municipal Airport 35 MPH 455 PM AWOS YEAR TO DATE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION STATISTICS... COLUMBIA SC METROPOLITAN AIRPORT 2018/2019 MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL... AVG HIGH/DEP AVG LOW/DEP AVG TEMP NORM DEPARTURE JAN 2018 55.5/-0.5 30.5/-3.2 43.0 44.8 -1.8 FEB 70.1/+9.8 49.6/+12.8 59.8 48.5 +11.3 MAR 65.8/-2.4 42.5/-0.5 54.2 55.6 -1.4 APR 75.1/-1.2 49.4/-1.0 62.3 63.4 -1.1 MAY 87.3/+1.4 66.5/+7.0 76.9 71.7 +5.2 JUN 93.8/+3.8 71.7/+3.5 82.8 79.1 +3.7 JUL 93.5/+0.8 73.5/+1.9 83.5 82.2 +1.3 AUG 92.9/+2.2 72.7/+1.7 82.8 80.8 +2.0 SEP 91.2/+6.0 72.6/+8.4 81.9 74.7 +7.2 OCT 79.6/+3.5 57.5/+5.4 68.5 64.1 +4.4 NOV 62.3/-5.0 43.2/+0.9 52.8 54.8 -2.0 DEC 58.5/+0.3 39.2/+3.9 48.8 46.7 +2.1 Annual 77.1/+1.6 55.7/+3.3 66.4 63.9 +2.5 JAN 2019 57.7/+1.7 36.3/+2.6 47.0 44.8 +2.2 FEB 65.1/+4.8 41.2/+4.4 53.2 48.5 +4.7 MAR 67.4/-0.8 42.7/+0.3 55.1 55.6 -0.5 APR 77.9/+1.6 52.7/+2.3 65.3 63.4 +1.9 AUGUSTA GA BUSH FIELD 2018/2019 MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL... AVG HIGH/DEP AVG LOW/DEP AVG TEMP NORM DEPARTURE JAN 2018 57.1/-0.8 29.2/-3.6 43.1 45.4 -2.3 FEB 71.6/+9.3 48.4/+12.5 60.0 49.1 +10.9 MAR 67.7/-2.2 41.2/-1.4 54.5 55.9 -1.4 APR 75.1/-2.2 46.1/-2.0 60.6 62.7 -2.1 MAY 86.4/+1.4 61.5/+4.2 74.0 71.1 +2.9 JUN 92.2/+1.2 68.7/+2.5 80.5 78.6 +1.9 JUL 91.2/-2.2 70.9/+1.1 81.0 81.6 -0.6 AUG 92.4/+0.6 70.4/+1.1 81.4 80.5 +0.9 SEP 92.4/+5.7 70.4/+7.8 81.4 74.6 +6.8 OCT 80.6/+2.9 56.7/+4.3 68.7 64.4 +4.3 NOV 64.3/-4.8 43.3/+1.9 53.8 55.2 -1.4 DEC 61.1/+1.1 40.5/+6.0 50.8 47.2 +3.6 Annual 77.7/+0.8 53.9/+2.9 65.8 63.9 +1.9 JAN 2019 60.7/+2.8 37.4/+4.6 49.1 45.4 +3.7 FEB 68.4/+6.1 43.2/+7.3 55.8 49.1 +6.7 MAR 71.2/+1.3 42.8/+0.8 57.0 55.9 +1.1 APR 80.0/+2.7 52.1/+4.0 66.0 62.7 +3.3 COLUMBIA SC METROPOLITAN AIRPORT 2018/2019 MONTHLY/YEARLY PRECIPITATION... TOTAL NORMAL DEPARTURE (INCHES) JAN 2018 2.42 3.58 -1.16 FEB 1.61 3.61 -2.00 MAR 2.97 3.73 -0.76 APR 3.10 2.62 +0.48 MAY 2.76 2.97 -0.21 JUN 3.45 4.69 -1.24 JUL 3.68 5.46 -1.78 AUG 3.25 5.26 -2.01 SEP 6.09 3.54 +2.55 OCT 6.36 3.17 +3.22 NOV 6.55 2.74 +3.81 DEC 7.25 3.22 +4.03 Annual 49.52 44.59 +4.93 JAN 2019 3.07 3.58 -0.57 FEB 0.88 3.61 -2.73 MAR 2.61 3.73 -1.12 APR 2.86 2.62 +0.24 AUGUSTA GA BUSH FIELD 2018/2019 MONTHLY/YEARLY PRECIPITATION... TOTAL NORMAL DEPARTURE (INCHES) JAN 2018 2.09 3.91 -1.82 FEB 1.57 3.92 -2.35 MAR 3.21 4.18 -0.97 APR 3.47 2.84 +0.63 MAY 8.21 2.65 +5.56 JUN 5.19 4.72 +0.47 JUL 3.13 4.33 -1.20 AUG 4.28 4.32 -0.04 SEP 7.19 3.22 +3.97 OCT 4.58 3.27 +1.31 NOV 5.98 2.82 +3.16 DEC 5.94 3.39 +2.55 Annual 54.84 43.57 +11.27 Jan 2019 4.40 3.91 +0.49 FEB 1.14 3.92 -2.78 MAR 2.23 4.18 -1.95 APR 3.01 2.84 +0.17 The 3-Month Outlook for Late Spring into Summer May/June/July)... The outlook calls for a 40 to 50 percent chance of above normal temperatures along with a 30 to 40 percent chance of above normal precipitation. Go to the Climate Prediction Center web page at www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov for more details and the latest outlooks. ENSO (EL NINO SOUTHERN OSCILLATION)... ...El Nino Advisory... El Nino conditions are present. There is an 65 percent chance that El Nino conditions will continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer. There is a 50 to 55 percent chance of El Nino conditions continuing into the fall. Climate Outlooks and ENSO Discussions courtesy of NOAA Climate Prediction Center...www.cpc.noaa.gov . Note...much appreciation goes out to our NWS Cooperative Weather Observers...CoCoRaHS (Community...Collaborative...Rain...Hail and Snow Network) Observers...South Carolina State Climate Office... Southeast Regional Climate Center...Richland County Emergency Services...USGS and local weather partners for the data they provide throughout the year. Their hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated. 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 . $$ LCV