Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Columbia SC
1230 PM EDT Fri 12 2019
...March 2019 Climate Summary...
...6 Tornadoes on the afternoon of March 3rd...
...Minor River Flooding during early March...
...Near Normal Temperatures for the month...
...Below Normal Precipitation for the month...
March came in like a lion with severe weather and measurable
rainfall on 6 of the first 9 days of the month. The later half of
the month remained rather quiet across the Midlands and Central
Savannah River Area. Severe thunderstorms on the afternoon of the
3rd produced 6 tornadoes and multiple wind reports across the area.
Temperatures for the month were close to normal, but rainfall
continued the trend of below normal.
.Augusta Average Temperatures...
The average temperature at Augusta Regional Bush Field for March was
57.0 degrees or 1.1 degrees above the normal of 55.9 degrees.
.Columbia Average Temperatures...
The average temperature at Columbia Metro Airport for March was 55.1
degrees or 0.5 degrees below the normal of 55.6 degrees.
.Augusta Rainfall...
Augusta Bush Field received 2.23 inches of rainfall during March,
1.95 inches below the normal of 4.18 inches.
.Columbia Rainfall...
Columbia Metro Airport received 2.61 inches of rainfall during
March, 1.12 inches below the normal of 3.73 inches.
Here are some of the highest official NWS Coop Observer monthly
rainfall totals for March 2019:
LUGS1 Lugoff..................4.48 inches
CEWS1 Cheraw Water Plant......4.21 inches
NWYS1 Newberry WKDK...........3.69 inches
BNLS1 Barnwell 5 ENE..........1.79 inches
LNCG2 Lincolnton 4.4 S........1.68 inches
Here are some of the highest unofficial CoCoRaHS monthly rainfall
totals for March 2019:
SC-KR-14 Lugoff 2.2 NNW.....4.60 inches
SC-RC-93 Chapin 5.0 ESE.....4.56 inches
SC-LX-128 Irmo 1.3 SE........4.29 inches
SC-CF-5 Pageland 9.0 WNW...4.24 inches
SC-LN-4 Lancaster 2.0 NNW..3.83 inches
GA-CU-7 Grovetown 3.4 NE...2.57 inches
GA-MD-1 Thomson 2.5 S......2.49 inches
GA-BK-9 S. Augusta 4.1 S...2.39 inches
GA-RC-9 W. Augusta 0.9 NW..2.13 inches
GA-BK-1 Waynesboro 3.3 SW..1.79 inches
Highest Wind Gusts at ASOS Sites during March:
Orangeburg County Airport (OGB).......40 mph on the 25th
Columbia Hamilton Owens Field (CUB)...39 mph on the 25th
Columbia Metro Airport (CAE)..........38 mph on the 25th
Augusta Daniel Field (DNL)............36 mph on the 25th
Augusta Bush Field (AGS)..............34 mph on the 25th
Highest Wind Gusts on the area lakes during March:
Lake Thurmond Dam (CHDS1).............37 mph on the 25th
Lake Murray Flotilla Island (LMFS1)...36 mph on the 15th
Lake Murray Towers USGS (IRMS1).......32 mph on the 5th
Lake Wateree Dam (WATS1)..............30 mph on the 22nd
Lake Murray Top Water Temperatures at The Towers for March:
Warmest...60.3F on the 30th
Coolest...51.8F on the 5th
TEMPERATURE/PRECIPITATION RECORDS TIED OR BROKEN DURING THE MONTH OF
March:
Augusta...
None
COLUMBIA...
None
Events for March 2019...
March 2nd-8th...
Multiple weather systems affected the region on the 1st through the
3rd. The systems produced rainfall amounts from 1 to 1 inches across
the Midlands and Central Savannah River Area. However, heavier
rainfall amounts fell across the Upstate and western North Carolina
in the headwaters of the area rivers. Minor flooding eventually
occurred as the water moved through the basins. Minor flooding
occurred at the Congaree River at Carolina Eastman and Congaree NP-
Gadsden. Minor flooding also occurred along the Great Pee Dee River
at Cheraw and the Saluda River at Chappells.
Here are the river crest for the event:
Congaree River at Carolina Eastman - 118.2 feet on the 8th. FS is
115.0 feet.
Congaree River at Congaree NP-Gadsden - 16.99 feet on the 6th. FS is
15.0 feet.
Great Pee Dee River at Cheraw - 31.31 feet on the 5th. FS is 30.0
feet.
Saluda River at Chappells - 18.05 feet on the 4th. FS is 14.0 feet.
March 1st and 3rd...
A line of thunderstorms moved across the Midlands and Central
Savannah River Area. Many of the storms produced strong winds
across the area, but a few thunderstorms became severe. The
severe storms spawned 6 tornadoes. Tornadoes touched down in
Columbia County, Edgefield County, Lexington County and
Richland County. The storms also produced damaging wind gusts
that took down trees and power lines along with small hail.
On the 1st, lightning stuck a home in Newberry County, severely
damaging the chimney and portions of the home.
Here is a list of the tornadoes that touched down and the damage
they produced:
Columbia County, GA Tornado...
Start Location...4 W Evans in Columbia County GA
End Location...4 WNW Evans in Columbia County GA
Date...03/03/2019
Estimated Time...05:44 PM EST
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF2
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...120 mph
Maximum Path Width...100.0 yards
Path Length...1.52 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...33.5354 / -82.2159
Ending Lat/Lon...33.5521 / -82.1986
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0
...Summary...
Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were uprooted and snapped along
the path of tornado. Extensive damage occurred to a home along
Magnolia Lane. This included roof damage, damage to windows, a
garage door and two vehicles. As the tornado continued northeast
it produced damage in the Summerhill Neighborhood. Significant
damage occurred to a wooden fence and a small shed. One home
loss a significant amount of siding to one side and other homes
had damage to shingled roofs and fascia board. Additionally, two
ac compressor units were damaged and overturned. The tornado then
crossed William Few Parkway and produced extensive tree damage in
the Knob Hill Neighborhood, especially near the playground.
Edgefield County, SC Tornado...
Start Location...6 W Murphys Estates in Edgefield County SC
End Location...2 NW Murphys Estates in Edgefield County SC
Date...03/03/2019
Estimated Time...05:53 PM EST
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF2
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...120 mph
Maximum Path Width...200.0 yards
Path Length...5.05 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...33.6098 / -82.0529
Ending Lat/Lon...33.6278 / -81.9683
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0
...Summary...
Extensive tree damage occurred along the track of the tornado
which paralleled Woodlawn Road to Briggs Road and then across
Sweetwater Road. Trees all along the path were either uprooted
or snapped. The tornado touched down near the intersection
of Woodlawn Road and Reedy Branch Road. The tornado continued
east-northeast along Woodlawn Road. At the intersection of
Woodlawn Road and Highway 230 there was damage to a convenience
store. A couple of the gas pumps were blown over and there was
damage to the gas station awning. The tornado continued
east-northeast producing extensive tree damage and just east
of the intersection of Briggs Road and Sweetwater Road.
The most extensive damage to structures occurred near the
Morgana Community along Woodlawn Road. Several structures were
impacted by fallen trees and large branches. Several homes had
damage to roof including shingles, fascia and trim. A tree fell
across a pick-up truck crushing the truck bed. Numerous power
lines were downed along Woodlawn, Highway 230 and Briggs Road.
Red Bank, SC Tornado (Lexington County)...
Start Location...2 ESE Gilbert in Lexington County SC
End Location...2 SW Oak Grove in Lexington County SC
Date...03/03/2019
Estimated Time...06:53 PM EST
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...100 mph
Maximum Path Width...100.0 yards
Path Length...10.92 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...33.9081 / -81.3538
Ending Lat/Lon...33.9602 / -81.1754
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0
...Summary...
A tornado touched down near Blackthorn Dr. and Two Notch Rd.
southeast of Gilbert, then tracked in a general east-northeast
direction for approximately 11 miles, crossing I-20 between mile
markers 48-49, then moving across Longs Pond Rd., Muddy Springs
Rd., S Lake Dr. and Emanuel Church Rd., before dissipating near
Kitti Wake Dr. near Red Bank. The tornado snapped and uprooted
numerous hardwood and softwood trees, causing damage to support
columns at the Red Bank Baptist Church, and resulted in roof and
property damage to several homes.
Lexington, SC Tornado (Lexington County)...
Start Location...2 S Lexington in Lexington County SC
End Location...2 SE Lexington in Lexington County SC
Date...03/03/2019
Estimated Time...07:02 PM EST
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...110 mph
Maximum Path Width...50.0 yards
Path Length...1.93 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...33.9613 / -81.2383
Ending Lat/Lon...33.96 / -81.205
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0
...Summary...
A tornado touched down near Industrial Blvd. in Lexington, then
tracked to the east for approximately 1.9 miles, crossing S Lake
Dr., Glassmaster Rd., I-20 and Two Notch Rd., before dissipating
near Shirway Rd. The tornado produced damage to several
businesses along the path. There was damage to an awning at the
Shell gas station on South Lake Drive at Glassmaster Rd. The roof
was blown of the porch of a seafood restaurant. There were about
8 recreational vehicles that were overturned at a business along
Glassmaster Rd., with several of them moving nearly 50 yards. Two
other large trailers were overturned at another business along
Glassmaster Rd. Some minor roof damage occurred to homes near
Shirway Rd. and Dusty Ct. Many hardwood and softwood trees were
also snapped or uprooted along the path of the tornado.
Columbia, SC Tornado (Richland County)...
Start Location.Fort Jackson Tornado...
Start Location...2 ENE Woodfields in Richland County SC
End Location...1 NNW Fort Jackson in Richland County SC
Date...03/03/2019
Estimated Time...07:33 PM EST
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...95 mph
Maximum Path Width...200.0 yards
Path Length...0.6 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...34.06 / -80.9031
Ending Lat/Lon...34.0612 / -80.8928
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0
...Summary...
Fort Jackson personnel surveyed damage on the base and provided the
National Weather Service with detailed damage photos which are
consistent with a tornado. The tornado uprooted and snapped
multiple pine trees in the vicinity of Park Road near
Gills Creek. The tornado touched down about half a mile southeast
of the intersection of Percival Road and Alpine Road.
The tornado path length was approximately 0.6 miles with a width
of about 200 yards...2 NW West Columbia in Richland County SC
End Location...2 N West Columbia in Richland County SC
Date...03/03/2019
Estimated Time...07:13 PM EST
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...105 mph
Maximum Path Width...150.0 yards
Path Length...1.46 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...34.0182 / -81.096
Ending Lat/Lon...34.0165 / -81.0707
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0
...Summary...
A tornado touched down near the Saluda River just south of the I-
26 and I-126 interchange, north of Riverbanks Zoo. The tornado then
tracked to the east for approximately 1.5 miles, crossing I-126,
Janice Dr., Betsy Dr., Saluda River Rd., Timothy Dr., Moore Hopkins
Ln. and Greystone Blvd., before dissipating near W Shawnee Rd. The
tornado produced significant damage along its path, snapping and
uprooting a significant amount of hardwood and softwood trees.
Many of the trees fell onto vehicles and homes. Major structural
damage occurred to several of the homes along the path due to the
fallen trees. Additional straight line wind damage occurred east
of the tornado to near Bull St.
Fort Jackson Tornado...
Start Location...2 ENE Woodfields in Richland County SC
End Location...1 NNW Fort Jackson in Richland County SC
Date...03/03/2019
Estimated Time...07:33 PM EST
Maximum EF-Scale Rating...EF1
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...95 mph
Maximum Path Width...200.0 yards
Path Length...0.6 miles
Beginning Lat/Lon...34.06 / -80.9031
Ending Lat/Lon...34.0612 / -80.8928
* Fatalities...0
* Injuries...0
...Summary...
Fort Jackson personnel surveyed damage on the base and provided the
National Weather Service with detailed damage photos which are
consistent with a tornado. The tornado uprooted and snapped
multiple pine trees in the vicinity of Park Road near
Gills Creek. The tornado touched down about half a mile southeast
of the intersection of Percival Road and Alpine Road.
The tornado path length was approximately 0.6 miles with a width
of about 200 yards.
March 6th...
Cold Canadian high pressure settled across the area and
produced seasonably cold temperatures for the Midlands and CSRA.
Here are a few of the coldest temperatures recorded:
Graniteville, SC 21 F 0700 AM 03/06 COOP
Cedar Crk 21 F 0800 AM 03/06 COOP
Crossroads Fire Station 22 F 0800 AM 03/06 RCWINDS
Landfill 22 F 0800 AM 03/06 RCWINDS
2 ESE Saluda 22 F 0710 AM 03/06 AWS
8 E Fort Jackson 23 F 0733 AM 03/06 RAWS
Newberry WKDK 23 F 0800 AM 03/06 COOP
Wagener 1SW 24 F 0932 AM 03/06 COOP
McEntire ANG 25 F 0656 AM 03/06 AWOS
2 NNW Brookdale 25 F 0716 AM 03/06 RAWS
Little Mountain 25 F 0900 AM 03/06 COOP
Lugoff 2NE 25 F 1000 AM 03/06 COOP
6 E Jefferson 25 F 0714 AM 03/06 RAWS
Barnwell, SC 25 F 0800 AM 03/06 COOP
Saluda 25 F 0800 AM 03/06 COOP
Waynesboro 26 F 0800 AM 03/06 COOP
Lincolnton 26 F 0800 AM 03/06 COOP
8 WSW Snelling 26 F 0706 AM 03/06 RAWS
McCormick 26 F 0700 AM 03/06 COOP
Newberry WKDK 26 F 0800 AM 03/06 COOP
1 SE Fort Jackson 26 F 0651 AM 03/06 RAWS
March 18th...
A cold Canadian high pressure settled over the area and produce cold
temperatures across the Midlands and Central Savannah River Area on
the morning of the 18th.
Here are a few of the coldest temperatures recorded:
Edisto Electric Coop 24 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Graniteville, SC 26 F 0745 AM 03/18 COOP
Pendleton Field nr Pelion 28 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
8 E Fort Jackson 28 F 0733 AM 03/18 RAWS
Cedar Crk 28 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
8 SE New Ellenton 29 F 0807 AM 03/18 RAWS
1 S Pelion 29 F 0725 AM 03/18 AWS
2 ESE Saluda 29 F 0745 AM 03/18 AWS
Camden-woodward Field 30 F 0735 AM 03/18 AWOS
Lake Greenwood 30 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
Lincolnton 30 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
Taxahaw 30 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Dutch Fork HS 30 F 0800 AM 03/18 RCWINDS
Richland Library Northeast 30 F 0800 AM 03/18 RCWINDS
Lancaster County Airport 30 F 0635 AM 03/18 AWOS
Dutch Fork HS 30 F 0800 AM 03/18 RCWINDS
1 W Clarks Hill 31 F 0815 AM 03/18 URBANET
Gilbert 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Goshen Plantation 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Crane Creek FS 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 RCWINDS
Hopkins 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
McCormick 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
Lexington County Airport 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 RCWINDS
Thomson-Mcduffie County Airp 31 F 0750 AM 03/18 AWOS
1 ESE North 31 F 0756 AM 03/18 MESOWEST
Mcentire Ang 31 F 0756 AM 03/18 AWOS
Olar 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Wagener 1SW 31 F 0913 AM 03/18 COOP
Leathersville 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
3 NNW Blythe 31 F 0801 AM 03/18 RAWS
Fox Knoll Farms 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Lugoff 2 E 31 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
Augusta Bush Field 32 F 0753 AM 03/18 ASOS
Aiken Municipal Airport 32 F 0755 AM 03/18 AWOS
Double Pond Blackville 32 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Barnwell Regional Airport 32 F 0735 AM 03/18 AWOS
Barnwell, SC 32 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
Columbia Metro Airport 32 F 0756 AM 03/18 ASOS
Cheraw Municipal Airport 32 F 0735 AM 03/18 AWOS
Fishing Crk Lk Thurmond 32 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Chapin 1.4 S 32 F 0800 AM 03/18 COCORAHS
Dudley nr Thomson 32 F 0800 AM 03/18 PUBLIC
Newberry County Airport 32 F 0735 AM 03/18 AWOS
Mccormick 32 F 0700 AM 03/18 COOP
Santee Cooper Region Arpt 32 F 0815 AM 03/18 AWOS
Saluda 32 F 0800 AM 03/18 COOP
Lake Wateree Dam 32 F 0650 AM 03/18 MARITIME
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
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
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
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
The 3-Month Outlook for Spring into early Summer
(April/May/June)...
The outlook calls for a 40 to 50 percent chance of above normal
temperatures along with a 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 80 percent chance that
El Nino conditions will continue through the Northern Hemisphere
spring. There is a 60 percent chance of weak El Nino conditions
continuing into the summer.
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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