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 .
$$
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