COLUMBIA, S.C. — The holiday workweek has started off cloudy and cool. Rain will return to the Midlands Tuesday, but sunshine is forecast for Wednesday. The holiday weekend is expected to be dry and unseasonably warm.
Temperatures across the Midlands only managed to reach the middle 40s Monday afternoon under the cloudy skies. The clouds will stick around during the overnight hours. A few showers will develop after midnight. Lows Tuesday morning will be in the middle 30s.
A low in the Gulf of Mexico will continue to push towards the coast of the Southeast. This low will bring a cold rain to the state for most of the day Tuesday.
High temperatures Tuesday will only be in the lower to middle 40s. Forecast models have indicated 0.25-0.75” of rain Tuesday. The higher amounts will be in the eastern half of the area.
As the low moves out, the skies will clear out early Wednesday morning. Sunshine will return to the area. Highs will be seasonable for this time of the year in the middle to upper 50s.
It may be a little cooler Thursday. Temperatures will be in the middle 50s under sunny conditions.
Christmas Eve will be mostly sunny and mild. High temperatures are expected to climb into the lower 60s. Christmas Day will be even warmer with highs in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees. Our average high for December 25 is 57 degrees.
The warmest Christmas Day on record was 79° in 1955. The coldest Christmas was in 1983 when the low reached 7 degrees. The wettest Christmas on record was in 2009 when the airport reported 3.06” of rain. Columbia has only reported a trace of snow on Christmas Day, in 1924 and 2004.
The warmer-than-normal weather is expected to continue through the beginning of the new year.
