000
NOUS42 KCAE 030351
PNSCAE

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA, SC
1050 PM EST SAT JAN 2 2010

...WETTEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT BOTH COLUMBIA AND AUGUSTA...

...2009 WAS THE WETTEST CALENDAR YEAR SINCE 2003...

...WETTEST SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER ON RECORD...

...DECEMBER WAS COOLER THAN NORMAL...


THE MONTH OF DECEMBER WAS THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH THAT BOTH 
COLUMBIA SC AND AUGUSTA GA RECEIVED ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. IN 
FACT...DECEMBER 2009 WAS THE WETTEST DECEMBER ON RECORD FOR BOTH 
STATIONS. COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN AIRPORT RECEIVED 9.31 INCHES OF RAIN 
IN DECEMBER 2009...COMPARED TO A DECEMBER NORMAL OF 3.38 INCHES. 
AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD RECEIVED 8.97 INCHES IN DEC 2009...COMPARED TO A 
NORMAL OF 3.14 INCHES. THIS WAS THE HIGHEST AMOUNT IN ANY DECEMBER 
ON RECORD AT BOTH COLUMBIA AND AUGUSTA SINCE PRECIPITATION RECORDS 
BEGAN IN THOSE AREAS IN 1878. 

THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR OF 2009 WAS 54.95 INCHES AT 
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT...COMPARED TO A NORMAL OF 48.27 IN.  THE 
TOTAL RAINFALL FOR 2009 AT AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD WAS 50.58 
INCHES...COMPARED TO A NORMAL OF 44.58. AT BOTH COLUMBIA AND 
AUGUSTA...2009 WAS THE WETTEST CALENDAR YEAR SINCE 2003...AND SECOND 
WETTEST SINCE 1995. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPRESSIVE GIVEN THAT 2009 

STARTED OUT VERY DRY. 

DURING THE LAST FOUR MONTHS OF THE YEAR...FROM SEPTEMBER 1ST TO 
DECEMBER 31ST...COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN AIRPORT RECEIVED 25.96 INCHES 
OF RAIN. THIS IS THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF RAIN RECEIVED IN THAT FOUR 
MONTH PERIOD ON RECORD...BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 23.62 
INCHES IN 1976. THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF RAIN FOR THAT FOUR MONTH PERIOD 
AT COLUMBIA IS 13.09 INCHES. AT AUGUSTA...23.31 INCHES OF RAIN 
FELL DURING THE LAST FOUR MONTHS OF THE YEAR...WHICH IS THE SECOND 
HIGHEST TOTAL ON RECORD FOR THAT TIME PERIOD...COMPARED TO A NORMAL 
OF 12.61 INCHES. 

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN DECEMBER 2009 AT COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT 
WAS 44.4 DEGREES...OR 2.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE 
TEMPERATURE IN DEC 2009 AT AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD WAS 45.6 DEGREES...OR 
1.3 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.   



PRECIPITATION REPORTS ACROSS THE MIDLANDS AND CSRA FOR DEC 2009...

OFFICIAL...
COLUMBIA OWENS FIELD.....9.45 IN.
COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT...9.31 IN.
AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD.......8.97 IN.
AUGUSTA DANIEL FIELD.....8.57 IN.
ORANGEBURG MUN AIRPORT...7.44 IN.

UNOFFICIAL...
PELION SC...............10.57 IN
COLUMBIA USC SC..........9.85 IN
AIKEN SC.................9.66 IN
BARNWELL SC..............8.99 IN.
DEARING GA...............8.88 IN.
CEDAR CREEK SC...........8.85 IN.

MIDVILLE GA..............8.85 IN.
LITTLE MOUNTAIN SC.......8.64 IN.
NEWBERRY.................8.49 IN.
BAMBERG SC...............8.39 IN.
SANDY RUN SC.............8.38 IN.
WINNSBORO SC.............8.26 IN.
CHAPPELLS SC.............8.20 IN.
JOHNSTON SC..............8.07 IN.
CLARKS HILL DAM..........7.95 IN.
MCCORMICK SC.............7.26 IN.
APPLING GA...............7.13 IN.


COLUMBIA METRO AIRPORT 2009 PRECIPITATION...

                   TOTAL        NORMAL     DIFFERENCE

                 (INCHES)
JANUARY 2009        1.52         4.50         -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

2009 ANNUAL TOTAL  54.95        48.27         +6.68    



AUGUSTA BUSH FIELD 2009 PRECIPITATION...

                   TOTAL        NORMAL      DIFFERENCE
                 (INCHES)  
JANUARY 2009        1.07         4.66         -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
 
2009 ANNUAL TOTAL  50.58        44.58         +6.00    


MILLER