PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
950 AM EST TUE FEB 2 2010

...WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION FOR JANUARY...
...FIRST WINTER STORM OF THE SEASON...
...5TH STRAIGHT MONTH OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION AT AUGUSTA...

THE MONTH OF JANUARY BEGAN WITH UNSEASONABLY COLD TEMPERATURES FOR
NEARLY THE FIRST TWO WEEKS. THE EL NINO PATTERN THAT HAS DOMINATED
MUCH OF THE WINTER PERIOD TOOK A BREAK...AS A LARGE RIDGE BUILT

ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE COUNTRY AND A DEEP TROUGH
DEVELOPED ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THIS
ALLOWED FOR SEVERAL SURGES OF COLD CANADIAN AIR TO MOVE SOUTHWARD
OVER THE REGION. DURING THIS PERIOD...TEMPERATURES AT BOTH AUGUSTA
AND COLUMBIA AVERAGED 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. HOWEVER...BY
THE MIDDLE AND END OF THE MONTH TEMPERATURES MODERATED AND AVERAGED
ABOUT 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. DURING THE COLD OUTBREAK AT
COLUMBIA...THE LONGEST STRETCH OF MORNING LOW TEMPERATURES BELOW 20
DEGREES WAS TIED DURING THE MONTH. FROM JANUARY 3RD THROUGH THE
7TH...MORNING LOW TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE TEENS THROUGH THE PERIOD.
IT WAS ALSO THE LONGEST STRETCH OF MORNING LOW TEMPERATURES BELOW 30
DEGREES AT AUGUSTA...14 DAYS...AND THE 3RD LONGEST STRETCH AT
COLUMBIA...14 DAYS. AT AUGUSTA...FROM JANUARY 2ND THROUGH JAN 15TH
MORNING LOW TEMPERATURES REMAINED IN THE TEENS AND TWENTIES. THE
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 13 DAYS FROM DECEMBER 25TH 1960 THROUGH JAN 6TH
1961.

BY THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH...THE PATTERN ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAD
BECOME MORE ZONAL AND SYSTEMS BEGAN MOVING FROM WEST TO EAST. ON THE
16TH-17TH...AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPED IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
AND MOVED NORTHEAST TOWARD THE REGION. THIS PRODUCED A WIDESPREAD
AREA OF HEAVY RAIN WITH AMOUNTS FROM 2 TO 3 INCHES. THE HEAVY
RAINFALL PRODUCED FLOODING ON MANY OF THE AREA RIVERS FOR SEVERAL
DAYS.

BY THE END OF THE MONTH...THE FIRST WINTER WEATHER EVENT OF THE
SEASON ARRIVED TO THE REGION. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TRAVELED FROM
WEST TEXAS EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN LOUISIANA AND OFF THE CAROLINA
COAST FROM THE 28TH THROUGH THE 30TH. ON THE 29TH...A COLD FRONT
MOVED SOUTH OF THE REGION ALLOWING COLD CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE TO
BUILD SOUTHWARD INTO THE REGION. AS THE SYSTEM APPROACHED ON THE
29TH...MOISTURE BEGAN TO MOVE INTO THE REGION AND CONTINUED INTO
THE 30TH. A BAND OF SLEET AND SNOW DEVELOPED ACROSS THE NORTHERN
MIDLAND COUNTIES OF LANCASTER AND CHESTERFIELD. AMOUNTS FROM

1 TO 4 INCHES WERE OBSERVED WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS IN THE
PANHANDLE OF LANCASTER COUNTY. JUST TO THE SOUTH...A ZONE OF
FREEZING RAIN DEVELOPED AS SURFACE TEMPERATURES COOLED TO BELOW
FREEZING. THE AREA HIT THE HARDEST BY THE FREEZING RAIN STRETCHED
FROM NORTHERN NEWBERRY COUNTY EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN
FAIRFIELD...NORTHERN KERSHAW...SOUTHERN LANCASTER...SOUTHERN
CHESTERFIELD AND NORTHERN LEE COUNTIES. A GLAZE OF FREEZING RAIN
ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH THICK COATED TREES...POWERLINES AND
OBJECTS. THE RAIN CHANGED TO FREEZING RAIN AND THE AMOUNTS
DIMINISHED FROM NORTH TO SOUTH INTO THE CENTRAL MIDLAND COUNTIES OF
SALUDA...LEXINGTON...RICHLAND...SUMTER AND CLARENDON TO JUST SOME
LIGHT GLAZE...LESS THAN ONE QUARTER INCH...ON TREES AND ELEVATED
SURFACES.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD WAS 41.7 DEGREES...OR
3.1 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT COLUMBIA METRO
AIRPORT WAS 41.0 DEGREES...OR 3.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. AT BOTH

COLUMBIA AND AUGUSTA...JANUARY 2010 WAS THE 16TH COLDEST ON RECORD.
IT WAS THE COLDEST JANUARY IN NEARLY 20 YEARS.

THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL AT AUGUSTA REGIONAL BUSH FIELD WAS 5.39
INCHES OR 0.89 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE PRECIPITATION TOTAL AT
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT WAS 3.18 INCHES OR 1.48 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD 2009/2010 PRECIPITATION...

TOTAL NORMAL DIFFERENCE
(INCHES)
JANUARY 2009 1.07 4.50 -3.59
FEBRUARY 3.21 4.11 -0.90
MARCH 4.38 4.61 -0.23

APRIL 4.33 2.94 +1.39
MAY 4.38 3.07 +1.31
JUNE 3.78 4.19 -0.41
JULY 3.29 4.07 -0.78
AUGUST 2.38 4.48 -2.10
SEPTEMBER 3.63 3.59 +0.04
OCTOBER 5.10 3.20 +1.90
NOVEMBER 5.61 2.68 +2.93
DECEMBER 8.97 3.14 +5.83
JANUARY 2010 5.39 4.50 +0.89

COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT 2009/2010 PRECIPITATION...

TOTAL NORMAL DIFFERENCE
(INCHES)

JANUARY 2009 1.52 4.66 -2.98
FEBRUARY 3.00 3.84 -0.84
MARCH 3.41 4.59 -1.18
APRIL 2.76 2.98 -0.22
MAY 5.45 3.17 +2.28
JUNE 3.61 4.99 -1.38
JULY 5.87 5.54 +0.33
AUGUST 3.82 5.41 -1.59
SEPTEMBER 5.61 3.94 +1.67
OCTOBER 6.79 2.89 +3.90
NOVEMBER 4.25 2.88 +1.37
DECEMBER 9.31 3.38 +5.93
JANUARY 2010 3.18 4.66 -1.48

TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR COLUMBIA GO BACK TO 1887 AND FOR AUGUSTA
BACK TO 1874. PRECIPITATION RECORDS FOR COLUMBIA GO BACK TO 1878

AND FOR AUGUSTA BACK TO 1871.

VAUGHAN