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Weekend forecast: Quite warm, a stray storm or two possible

/ June 30, 2023 at 6:56 PM

The weekend forecast basically screams “first weekend of July in Charleston.” Morning lows bottom out in the mid-70s, while highs reach the mid-90s each afternoon with a few showers and storms possible along and ahead of the seabreeze. Humidity will be on the increase throughout the weekend. Heat indices on Saturday top out around 100-101°. On Sunday, the dewpoints head into the mid-70s and sends the heat index to around 106° in the afternoon. By virtue of it being July 2nd, there will not be a heat advisory as the criteria heads up to 110° on July 1, but anything past 105° is dangerous heat, and you should take the appropriate precautions.

The only potential fly in the ointment could arrive late Saturday/early Sunday as a thunderstorm complex rounding a ridge of high pressure approaches the area. It should be weakening, but a couple models suggest that it could hang on to bring some overnight/early morning rain. These are hard to pin down beyond a day or so, so stay tuned to forecast updates. For now, though, the going forecast for isolated PM thunderstorms looks solid.

Coastal flooding possible each evening this weekend

Minor coastal flooding will be possible each evening this weekend as we head toward the full moon on the 3rd. Water levels will generally peak around 7 feet Saturday evening around 7:10 PM, and will peak around 7.1′ at 8:03 PM Sunday. Keep an eye out if you are headed downtown this weekend, but major traffic issues currently aren’t anticipated (from the flooding, at least).

Fourth of July: Still hot, scattered storms in the afternoon

Fairly standard Fourth of July fare is in store for the Lowcountry on Tuesday. Expect highs to top out in the mid-90s after starting the day in the mid-70s. Mix in humidity, and it will feel between 105-110° once again. From there, scattered thunderstorms are expected to erupt along and ahead of the seabreeze in the afternoon and evening hours, which should impart some relief but also may pack some lightning, so be ready to head indoors for a little while if storms approach.


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