SOUTH COLUMBIA, Columbia — It has been a while since we have seen any rain in the Midlands. From the Plains to South Carolina, we have seen dry weather this week thanks to the record-setting high pressure sitting in the central United States.
We have seen a lot of sunshine this week and that trend looks to continue. The lack of rain will likely result in one of the longest dry stretches we have seen this year reaching at least 10 days.
This will likely result in expanding dry conditions over the region this week. The last time we saw drought in South Carolina was the last week of January this year. Long-term drought will not be a concern though as 2023 is sitting at the 18th wettest year through this time of the year.
The big reason for this switch over to dry weather is high pressure in the central US.
If the atmosphere were a pot of boiling water, high pressure would be just like a lid, covering up any steam that wanted to escape.
On a typical summer day, air rises just like the steam and causes clouds to form which can eventually lead to rain chances. High pressure fights this upward motion with air that moves downwards. This suppresses storm development and keeps us dry.
That is currently what we are experiencing in the Midlands and is the reason this whole week has featured no measurable rain. This will change eventually towards the end of the weekend when rain could once again fall from our sky.