PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
225 PM EDT WED APR 6 2015

...MARCH 2016 CLIMATE SUMMARY...

...TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH...
...5TH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD AT COLUMBIA...
...17TH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD AT AUGUSTA...
...BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION...


MARCH WAS UNSEASONABLY WARM ACROSS THE MIDLANDS AND CENTRAL SAVANNAH
RIVER AREA.  TEMPERATURES AVERAGED MORE THAN 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
FOR THE MONTH.  THERE WERE SEVERAL DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE
80S AT BOTH AUGUST AND COLUMBIA BUT NO RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE
TIED OR BROKEN. IT WAS ALSO RELATIVELY DRY FOR EARLY SPRING AS MANY
LOCATIONS ONLY RECEIVED 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAINFALL. THE WARM WEATHER
BROUGHT AN EARLY JUMP ON THE GROWING SEASON AND MANY PLANTS BEGAN TO
BLOOM AND BUD EARLIER THAN NORMAL.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT AUGUSTA REGIONAL BUSH FIELD WAS 60.8
DEGREES OR 4.9 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 55.9 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE AT COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT WAS 62.4 DEGREES OR 6.8
DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 55.6 DEGREES.

AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD RECEIVED 3.18 INCHES OF RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH.
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT RECEIVED ONLY 1.88 INCHES OF RAINFALL FOR THE
MONTH.

OTHER RAINFALL REPORTS AREA ASOS SITES:

ORANGEBURG COUNTY AIRPORT (OGB).....2.35 INCHES
HAMILTON OWENS AIRPORT COLA (CUB)...2.25 INCHES
AUGUSTA DANIEL FIELD (DNL)..........2.06 INCHES

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST RAINFALL COCORAHS REPORTS FOR MARCH:
...COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE RAIN HAIL AND SNOW
NETWORK......WWW.COCORAHS.ORG

GA-MD-1  THOMSON 2.5 S............5.60 INCHES
SC-AK-41 AIKEN 2.5 S..............5.54 INCHES
SC-AK-57 AIKEN 2.9 SSE............5.47 INCHES
GA-CU-11 GROVETOWN 2.0 SSW........5.28 INCHES
SC-AK-4  N. AUGUSTA 4.2 NE........5.11 INCHES


HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST NWS COOP OBSERVER REPORTS FOR MARCH:

HHLS1 HOLLY HILL 1 SW.............2.88 INCHES
AKIS1 AIKEN 2 E...................2.68 INCHES
BAMS1 BAMBERG.....................2.75 INCHES
CEWS1 CHERAW WATER PLANT..........2.72 INCHES
CHDS1 CLARKS HILL.................2.56 INCHES



HIGHEST WIND GUSTS AT EACH ASOS LOCATION DURING THE MONTH:

ORANGEBURG COUNTY AIRPORT (OGB).......37 MPH ON THE 13TH
AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD (AGS)..............34 MPH ON THE 13TH
AUGUSTA DANIEL FIELD (CUB)............34 MPH ON THE 20TH
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT (CAE)..........32 MPH ON THE 28TH
HAMILTON OWENS FIELD COLUMBIA (CUB)...31 MPH ON THE 28TH



HIGHEST WIND GUSTS AT EACH LAKE OBSERVING SITE DURING THE MONTH:

LAKE MURRAY FLOTILLA ISLAND (LMFS1)..32 MPH ON THE 25TH
LAKE WATEREE (WATS1).................29 MPH ON THE 15TH
LAKE MURRAY TOWERS (IRMS1 - USGS)....29 MPH ON THE 2ND
LAKE MURRAY RC WINDS.................29 MPH ON THE 1ST AND 2ND


WATER TEMPERATURE AT THE LAKE MURRAY TOWERS (DEPTH APPROX. 6 FEET):
WARMEST...66.0 DEGREES ON THE 16TH
COOLEST...50.5 DEGREES ON THE 3RD

WATER TEMPERATURE AT THE LITTLE SALUDA RIVER NEAR PROSPERITY:
WARMEST...72.0 DEGREES ON THE 15TH
COOLEST...53.0 DEGREES ON THE 4TH

WATER TEMPERATURE AT THE SALUDA RIVER NEAR PROSPERITY:
WARMEST...68.0 DEGREES ON THE 17TH
COOLEST...52.0 DEGREES ON THE 1ST



TEMPERATURE RECORDS TIED OR BROKEN DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH:

AUGUSTA...
NONE

COLUMBIA...
ON THE 12TH...BROKE THE RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 61 DEGREES
SET IN 2015. LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 63 DEGREES.


EVENTS FOR MARCH 2016:


MARCH 1ST...A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHED THE REGION AND PRODUCED
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MIDLANDS AND CSRA.

MARCH 14TH...A COLD FRONT MOVED ACROSS THE REGION AND PRODUCED
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MIDLANDS. DAMAGING WINDS
AND HAIL THAT RANGED FROM PEA SIZE TO QUARTER SIZE WAS OBSERVED.

MARCH 22ND...COLD CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SETTLED OVER THE REGION
PRODUCING UNSEASONABLY CHILLY TEMPERATURES FOR LATE MARCH. MANY
AREAS SAW TEMPERATURES FALL INTO THE UPPER 20S TO MIDDLE 30S.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE MORNING LOWS ON THE 22ND:

CEDAR CREEK (BLYS1)(NWS COOP).......28 DEGREES
8 E FT. JACKSON (RAWS)..............28 DEGREES
LEESBURG ROAD-HWY 601 (RCWINDS).....29 DEGREES
UPPER RICHLAND (RCWINDS)............29 DEGREES
BEAR CREEK (RCWINDS)................29 DEGREES
8 SE NEW ELLENTON (RAWS)............29 DEGREES
EASTOVER (RCWINDS)..................30 DEGREES
CHERAW MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (AWOS).....30 DEGREES
LUGOFF 2 NE (LUGS1) (NWS COOP)......30 DEGREES
LANCASTER COUNTY AIRPORT (AWOS).....30 DEGREES


MARCH 27TH-28TH...A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PRODUCED
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION. RAINFALL AMOUNTS
OVER THE 24 HOUR PERIOD RANGED FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST RAINFALL TOTALS:

6 SW EASTOVER (RAWS)................2.81 INCHES
2 W BLACKVILLE (GOES)...............1.56 INCHES
3 NE BISHOPVILLE (GOES).............1.51 INCHES
2 WNW EDISTO (CWOP).................1.50 INCHES
WAYNESBORO/GIRARD 8 NNW (GOES)......1.49 INCHES
AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD (AWOS)...........1.41 INCHES
S. FORK OF THE EDISTO RIVER (GOES)..1.36 INCHES
AUGUSTA (COCORAHS)..................1.35 INCHES
AIKEN 2.9 SSE (COCORAHS)............1.34 INCHES
AIKEN 9.8 NNE (COCORAHS)............1.32 INCHES

MARCH 31ST...A STRONG COLD FRONT PRODUCED SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MIDLANDS.



YEAR TO DATE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION STATISTICS...

COLUMBIA SC METROPOLITAN AIRPORT 2015/2016 MONTHLY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL...

          AVG HIGH/DEP   AVG LOW/DEP   AVG TEMP   NORM  DEPARTURE
JAN 2015  55.7/-0.3      33.7/ 0.0      44.7      44.8    -0.1
FEB       54.1/-6.2      32.1/-4.7      43.1      48.5    -5.4
MAR       70.3/+2.1      46.9/+3.9      58.6      55.6    +3.0
APR       77.8/+1.5      50.4/+5.7      67.0      63.4    +3.6
MAY       86.0/+2.2      61.0/+1.5      73.5      71.7    +1.8
JUN       93.6/+3.6      71.6/+3.4      82.6      79.1    +3.5
JUL       96.4/+3.7      74.3/+2.7      85.3      82.2    +3.1
AUG       92.9/+2.2      72.2/+1.2      82.6      80.8    +1.8
SEP       85.9/+0.7      67.6/+3.4      76.7      74.7    +2.0
OCT       75.6/-0.5      53.6/+1.5      64.6      64.1    +0.5
NOV       69.4/+2.1      48.6/+6.3      59.0      54.8    +4.2
DEC       70.1/+11.9     50.1/+14.8     60.1      46.7   +13.4

JAN 2016  55.1/-0.9      33.6/-0.1      44.3      44.8    -0.5
FEB       60.1/-0.2      37.9/+1.1      49.0      48.5    +0.5
MAR       75.0/+6.8      49.8/+6.8      62.4      55.6    +6.8


AUGUSTA GA BUSH FIELD 2014/2015 MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND
DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL...

          AVG HIGH/DEP   AVG LOW/DEP   AVG TEMP   NORM  DEPARTURE
JAN 2015  55.8/-2.1      32.1/-0.7     44.0       45.4    -1.4
FEB       55.4/-6.9      30.1/-5.8     42.8       49.1    -6.3
MAR       71.3/+1.4      45.3/+3.3     58.3       55.9    +2.4
APR       77.8/+0.5      54.9/+6.8     66.3       62.7    +3.6
MAY       86.7/+1.7      58.1/+0.8     72.4       71.1    +1.3
JUN       93.1/+2.1      68.1/+1.9     80.6       78.6    +2.0
JUL       95.8/+2.4      71.3/+1.5     83.6       81.6    +2.0
AUG       91.4/-0.4      69.8/+0.5     80.6       80.5    +0.1
SEP       85.5/-1.2      65.1/+2.5     75.3       74.6    +0.7
OCT       77.7/-2.1      52.4/+1.4     64.0       64.4    -0.4
NOV       70.2/+1.1      47.0/+5.6     58.6       55.2    +3.4
DEC       70.3/+10.3     48.3/+13.8    59.3       47.2   +12.1

JAN 2016  55.3/-2.6      33.1/+0.3     44.2       45.4    -1.2
FEB       61.7/-0.6      37.9/+2.0     49.8       49.0    +0.7
MAR       74.4/+4.5      47.1/+5.1     60.8       55.9    +4.9


COLUMBIA SC METROPOLITAN AIRPORT 2015/2016 MONTHLY PRECIPITATION...

               TOTAL   NORMAL   DEPARTURE
              (INCHES)
JAN 2015       2.60     3.58    -0.98
FEB            4.76     3.61    +1.15
MAR            2.78     3.73    -0.95
APR            4.03     2.62    +1.41
MAY            1.71     2.97    -1.26
JUN            8.79     4.69    +4.10
JUL            1.53     5.46    -3.93
AUG            4.85     5.26    -0.41
SEP            6.15     3.54    +2.61
OCT           14.46     3.17   +11.29
NOV            5.47     2.74    +2.73
DEC            6.45     3.22    +3.23
ANNUAL        63.58    44.59   +18.99

JAN 2016       1.94     3.58    -1.64
FEB            4.69     3.61    +1.08
MAR            1.88     3.73    -1.85

AUGUSTA GA BUSH FIELD 2015/2016 MONTHLY PRECIPITATION...

               TOTAL   NORMAL   DEPARTURE
              (INCHES)
JAN 2015       2.10     3.91     -1.81
FEB            4.70     3.92     +0.78
MAR            3.04     4.18     -1.14
APR            4.86     2.84     +2.02
MAY            0.93     2.65     -1.72
JUN            3.50     4.72     -1.22
JUL            3.52     4.33     -0.81
AUG            3.74     4.32     -0.58
SEP            4.05     3.22     +0.83
OCT            4.62     3.27     +1.35
NOV            5.41     2.82     +2.59
DEC            6.92     3.39     +3.53
ANNUAL        47.39    43.57     +3.82

JAN 2016       1.66     3.91     -2.25
FEB            3.76     3.92     -0.16
MAR            3.18     4.18     -1.00


THE OUTLOOK FOR APRIL...

THE FORECAST CALLS FOR EQUAL CHANCE OF ABOVE...BELOW OR
NORMAL TEMPERATURES WITH A 33 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF
ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL


THE 3-MONTH OUTLOOK FOR SPRING/EARLY SUMMER
(APRIL/MAY/JUNE)...

THE FORECAST CALLS FOR A 40 TO 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF ABOVE
NORMAL RAINFALL.

ENSO (EL NINO SOUTHERN OSCILLATION)...
...EL NINO ADVISORY CONTINUES...

A STRONG EL NINO IS PRESENT AND IS WEAKENING. A TRANSITION
TO ENSO-NEUTRAL IS LIKELY DURING THE LATE NORTHERN
HEMISPHERE SPRING OR EARLY SUMMER 2016 WITH CLOSE TO A
50 PERCENT CHANCE FOR LA NINA CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP BY
THE FALL.


CLIMATE OUTLOOKS AND ENSO DISCUSSIONS COURTESY 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 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 .

$$

VAUGHAN