COLUMBIA, S.C. — Spring officially starts at 11:09 PM on March 19th but we haven't had to wait for Spring temperatures to return to South Carolina.
Four out of the last seven days of February, high temperatures ended up in the 70s. So far in the first eleven days of March, four have been in the 70s as well.
The average high temperature for the 2 weeks is 66 to 67 degrees. Unseasonably warm? Perhaps, but we've been dealing with these warmer than normal temperatures for the months of February and March for several years, and most of the weather forecasting data indicates we're going to be unseasonably warm again for a while.
This week's forecast, for the most part, will end each afternoon in the Palmetto State with high temperatures in the mid-70s for several days and a few in the low 80s. High temperatures in that range are expected more for late April, not mid-March.
While these temperatures will not be record breakers, not many people will mind heading into Spring the following Tuesday wearing shorts and t-shirts, instead of thermals and winter jackets. But as all good things sometimes has, there's be a catch to the way-too-early warmer temperatures.
When our daily temperatures started to make it feel like early Spring instead of mid-Winter back in the beginning of January, trees began to come out of winter dormancy slowly but too early. By mid February, trees started growing leaves and before the end of the month, not only did trees begin leafing out, but pollenating. We have seen the yellow stuff start filling the air and covering the grounds in the Lowcountry about five weeks ago, in the Midlands about a month ago and in the Upstate over the last 2 weeks. Now that the state is getting covered in yellow, and one thing to it to make it messy. Rainfall, and A LOT of it.
We've had a lot of rainfall accumulated in March and we're only one-third of the way through the month. Not only that made for yellow rivers mixed with the pollen, it's lead to minor flooding events three times in the last two weeks. The incredible amount of heavy rainfall hasn't been localized in central South Carolina, but most of the state and that rainfall from the Upstate has to go somewhere - into the Midlands. This has exacerbated the minor to moderate banks flooding of the Congaree River and the river flood warnings continue this week.
Fortunately, a broad area of high pressure over the southeast will keep South Carolina dry for several days, but it also gets us really warm. High pressure will eventually move off to the east and positionally will be replaced by a weather complex that will provide rainfall chances to return by Friday.
