Efren Afante

Columbia

Chief Meteorologist at WLTX-TV (Columbia, SC)

@WLTX News19 Chief Meteorologist, WRN Ambassador, #OUSooner grad, Native NY'er, major #coffee drinker, hockey nut, pure #meteorology nerd Opinions/RT are my own

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Articles

South Carolina braces for hotter summer season

3 days ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — There has been more than a handful of days this Spring season when the afternoon temperatures have been above normal. Some of these days have been close to, and in a few days, record-tying or record-breaking high temperatures. Data predicts that the upcoming Summer season, which begins June 20th, is forecasted not only to be hotter on average hotter, with the potential for near or record-breaking afternoon temperatures.
South Carolina to see multi-day rainfall opportunities

3 days ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A weather complex along the Florida coast and another in the mid-section of the U.S. are forecasted to move close to or over South Carolina, providing multi-day opportunities for widespread rainfall during a seven day period. The National Hurricane Center has been tracking a slow moving and slow developing area of low pressure emanating between the Bahamas and the east coast of Florida.
Canadian wildfires impact US air quality and skies

4 days ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Smoke from massive wildfires that are ongoing in parts of northwestern and north central Canada continues to lift into the upper levels of the atmosphere. Climate Central provides information on the conditions leading to the wildfires. The Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions with the below average rainfall in the month of May.
South Carolina braces for heavy rainfall amid storms

1 week ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has received more rainfall than the average, which helps since most of 2025 has been spent in some form of a drought. The last week of the month of May had already started with widespread rainfall and the rainfall is expected to continue from Monday overnight through Tuesday night.
South Carolina marks Heat Safety Week 2025

2 weeks ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Summer is upon us and the National Weather Service offices in South Carolina makes May 19 to May 23 2025 Heat Safety Week. It may be much warmer now than the temperatures during the Winter, or even the early Spring. However, it's very important to know what the heat really means and the effects to us. NWS began this year with sending out public information for the heat risk forecast.
Southeast experiences unusual May temperature surge

2 weeks ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Climate Central uses weather conditions upstream from a region, atmospheric dynamics over the region and forecast models, to name a few. These are used to create the ongoing Climate Shift Index to predict the likelihood or unlikelihood of changes in the upcoming weather. The CSI indicates the number of times the change would be. For the last Monday of the month of May, there is five times more likely that the current trend of the temperatures will be above normal.
South Carolina weather: Heat and high UV levels forecast

2 weeks ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Remember last Friday afternoon when it felt like it was almost 100 degrees outside? We may be reliving those weather conditions during one of the next several days in South Carolina. A cold front was moving through the state late Saturday afternoon, bring the windy weather conditions that lasted through the early evening.
South Carolina to experience record May warmth

3 weeks ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina is no stranger to unusually warmer temperatures than normal during the Spring season. Morning low temperatures for the month of April averages 50.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Early in the month, the low temperature recorded at Columbia Metropolitan Airport as 71.0 degrees. The recorded low temperature average at the end of April was 54.0 degrees. Two-thirds of the April's low temperatures were above average, including the last twelve days of the month.
South Carolina hit by severe storms, tornadoes

3 weeks ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina had it's share of the inclement weather impacting a large portion of the U.S. southeast region beginning early Saturday and ending Monday overnight. An atmospheric upper level area of low pressure moved at a slow pace over the mid-Mississippi Valley eastwardly. Ahead and south of the area, from central Tennessee to the Florida panhandle, strong to severe storms and flooding rainfall began in areas of the central south early Saturday.
Carolinas brace for heavy rainfall this Mother's Day weekend

1 month ago | wltx.com | Efren Afante

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The number of times the Carolinas have had consecutive days of rainfall has been few and far between this Spring. After a below than average rainfall accumulations for the months of January and February, March didn't provide much more. April rainfall in both states were around average for the month, but no stretch of consecutive days of rainfall to mention.