Drought in South Carolina, August 1 to 31, 2002

Name: Drought in South Carolina, August 1 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-08-01T00:00
End: 2002-08-31T23:59
Location: South Carolina

August 1 to 31, 2002 · NWS CHS · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

The state of South Carolina remained in drought conditions. However, many areas received well above normal rainfall during the last half of the month which helped to improve conditions.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS CHS wrote it up.

The state of South Carolina remained in drought conditions. However, many areas received well above normal rainfall during the last half of the month which helped to improve conditions. The Charleston Airport measured over 11 inches of rain during the month.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 9:00 PM EST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 9:00 PM EST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
1000 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2002

MID TO UPR LOW OVER SE GA WITH VERY LTL MOVEMENT. RADAR ECHOES HAVE
DIMINISHED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS WITH LARGER COVG
TO THE SW AND TO THE N/NW OF THE CWA. THESE CONT TO PUSH S AND EXPCT
A CHC INLAND ZONES AND SLIGHTLY LESS CLOSER TO THE COAST FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE OVERNIGHT PD. DUE TO ANTICIPATED COVG TONIGHT...
PLAN TO STICK CLOSER OR MAKE ONLY A MINOR ADJUSTMENT TO THE POPS.
DEBRIS CLOUDINESS THINNING ALONG THE ERN EDGE OF CURRENT PCPN
AREAS. MAJORITY OF TONIGHT SHOULD BE P/CLDY...AND WITH MOST AREAS
RECEIVING SOME PCPN THIS EVENING...WILL ADD PATCHY FOG ALL ZONE
GROUPINGS. SFC TROF AND CONVXTN HAS MIXED WIND DIR THIS EVENING.
EXPCT MOSTLY SW ALONG THE COAST BUT WILL NEED TO PUT W/NW OR VAR
FOR INLAND ZONES AND EXTREME N. RAIN HAS COOLED MOST LOCATIONS TO
WHAT SHOULD BE THE COOLEST TEMPS TONIGHT. WILL NEED TO ADJUST LOWS
SLIGHTLY FOR A FEW SPOTS.

CWF...WILL MAKE A DIRECTIONAL CHG TO NRN WATERS AS THOSE
AREAS STILL INFLUENCED BY LARGE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT PUSHED THRU
EARLIER. WIND SPEEDS AND SEAS HEIGHTS WILL HAVE LITTLE CHG.

.CHS...
GA...NONE.
SC...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 31, 7:16 PM EST, 4 hours 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON, SC
816 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0700 PM    MILLEN                    GA   WIND DAMAGE
07/31/02   JENKINS                        TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN
                                          IN DOWNTOWN MILLEN. REPORTED
                                          BY MILLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT.

ST

Local storm report, Jul 31, 7:38 PM EST, 4 hours 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON, SC
838 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2002

CORRECTED TIME OF REPORT FROM 750 PM EDT TOO 550 PM EDT

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0550 PM    15 SE STATESBORO          GA   WIND DAMAGE
07/31/02   BULLOCH                        TREES DOWN NEAR HIGHWAY
                                          119 IN STILSON. REPORTED BY
                                          BULLOCH WARNING POINT.

ST

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Allendale

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Allendale forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.988, -81.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Beaufort

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Beaufort forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Berkeley

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Berkeley forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 33.198, -79.951 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Charleston

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Charleston forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Dorchester

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Dorchester forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 33.080, -80.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hampton

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Hampton forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.776, -81.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jasper

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Northern Colleton

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Colleton forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 32.843, -80.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southern Colleton

When: August 1, 12:00 AM EST to August 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Colleton forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Carolina in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in South Carolina, August 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5312486, 5312487, 5312488, 5312489, 5312490, 5312491, 5312492, 5312493, 5312494.