COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Despite forecasters putting out a cooler than normal forecast for Saturday and Sunday, Midlands residents found themselves in a state of disbelief after a more than 30 degree high temperature dropoff.
Thursday afternoon's high temperature at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport was 97 degrees. Saturday's highest recorded temperature was a mere 66. Friday's was 75, but came after midnight as the day got progressively cooler. Sunday's high was 71.
"It's irregular, but not highly unusual," says SkyWACH Weather Meteorologist Justin Kier. "A lot of folks in the Carolinas know and recognize the old 'wedge' or 'cold air dam' pattern that settles for a few days.
A potent cold front rolled into the Midlands late Thursday and brought a colder air mass to the area. An area of high pressure over the Northeastern United States steered in a northeasterly flow. The cooler air gets trapped close by the mountains to our west as warmer air overruns it. This complex recipe all leads to stratocumulus cloud formations and a cooler than normal pattern.
"The wedge has brought us significantly cooler patterns at other time periods, but this was pretty noteworthy given that just the day before we were roasting in the upper 90s," says Kier. "Expect to see this pattern again as it's just part of South Carolina's rich weather history."
The pattern will not last as wind directions will begin to shift and warmer air will filter into the Midlands. Ample moisture will combine with upper level dynamics and provide as better chance for showers and storms Tuesday through Friday.
"I hope you enjoyed the cooldown because it's about to go right back into the 80s," says Kier.
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