COLUMBIA, S.C. — Dry high pressure will settle over the area and dominate our weather through the middle of next week. The next chance for rain is Tuesday as a weak system passes to our south. Temperatures will remain below normal over the next seven days. Colder-than-normal conditions are expected through the end of December.
Thursday was rainy and warm for a large portion of the Midlands. The Columbia airport reported a high temperature of 68 degrees. The airport also received 0.64” of rain. The front that brought the rain moved out of the area, cooler, drier air has spilled in behind the front.
Today will be sunny and seasonably cool. Highs will be in the middle to upper 50s for the Midlands. A few clouds will be possible tonight. Lows will fall into the middle to upper 30s.
A system to our south will bring some clouds to the state Saturday. Highs will be in the lower 50s, but we are not expecting any rain. A front will swing through late Saturday, this will bring in cooler weather for Sunday. Highs will top out in the upper 40s. Temperatures Monday morning are expected to drop into the middle to upper 20s.
The workweek will be colder-than-normal with highs in the upper 40s to lower 50s. There may be a chance for some rain Tuesday through Thursday, but there is a lot of uncertainty.
Temperatures are forecast to be below normal in the 8-14 day temperature outlook. This strong Arctic high pressure system is expected to hang around the Southeast. With this cold air mass in place, systems that pass through will have the potential to produce some wintry weather across the Southeast.
It is too early to know what will happen during the days leading up to Christmas, but this will have to be watched.
Long-range forecast models have indicated wintry weather for parts of the South between December 23 and December 26, but forecasts that far out are not accurate.
You may have even seen social media posts of snowfall amounts, but those cannot be trusted or believed at this point.
Here are some tips to follow when it comes to winter storms in the South:
- It is hard for it to snow in South Carolina, especially in December
- Do not trust snow maps 3+ days out
- Computer model storms are common
- If it is going viral, it is probably hype
- The cold air has to be in place first (this should happen this time)
- Sleet ruins everything
- A few miles can make a huge difference in what you see or do not see
- Only follow trustworthy and reliable sources
The odds of snow in Columbia during the month of December are very low. It does not happen very often. The Columbia airport has not reported measurable snowfall in the month of December since 2010.
