COLUMBIA, S.C. — Since May, our high temperatures have averaged the 3rd coolest on record which was in stark contrast to our warm Winter and early Spring.
Along with this, wet weather has been common with rainfall now on record for the 8th most entering the month of July. The upper atmosphere paints the picture perfectly. Warm air has been stuck out West while the East has been stuck in this cool and wet pattern. So far this year we have seen the 3rd most days to feature 1 inch of rain or more which has helped our annual rain totals reach above average.
To put some perspective on our recent weather, by this date last year we had already hit 100 degrees 5 times and reached 90 30 times. This year is a much different story with highs only getting into the low 90s 7 times.
For those that are missing the Summer heat, changes are on the way. July looks, to begin with the hottest weather of the year as the current pattern breaks down and high-pressure returns to the South. This will allow for daytime highs that easily reach the 90s heading toward the end of this week.
There are no guarantees past the first week of the month though as models are somewhat split on what July may look like. Going off our climatology in a El Nino Summer though we can expect warmer afternoons that tend to feature more thunderstorm chances than typical. This should help keep the extreme heat we so often see out of the picture.