Many areas in the west-central portion of South Carolina today received a soaking rain for the first time in a month or more.

Thirty-eight of the 218 stations reporting in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network in South Carolina reported more than an inch of rain overnight, topped by 1.8 inches in McCormick County.

Most of those stations getting a heavy rain were in a region from Lexington and Newberry west to the Savannah River. That area has had little rain since the middle of October. The official National Weather Service gauges have registered .19 inches in Columbia and .12 in Augusta since Oct. 20.

In a side note, the same cold front that brought rain dipped temperatures enough that a thin coat of ice formed on the limbs on trees at Caesars Head State Park. At lower elevations nearby, the temperatures remained slightly above freezing.

Joey Holleman