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Friday & the weekend: Great weather, though mind the tides

/ October 17, 2024 at 6:05 PM

High pressure continues to be the main weather driver at the surface this weekend, and as an upper low departs, will build in aloft to help temperatures warm up for the weekend. Friday starts on the chilly side once again, with lows bottoming out in the low 40s away from the coast. Wind chills will be less of a factor Friday morning, but a light breeze could still make it feel a couple degrees cooler. Temperatures will warm to the upper 60s to around 70°, making for a nice Fall day across the Lowcountry.

Warm weather fans will rejoice as the aforementioned ridge of high pressure aloft begins to build in. We get Saturday off to a warmer start, with lows in the upper 40s away from the locally warmer coastline. From there, highs peak in the mid-70s for the first time in a few days with just a few passing clouds from time to time. We turn even warmer on Sunday, with temperatures in the low 50s in the morning rebounding to the mid-to-upper 70s in the afternoon, with a few clouds once again dotting an otherwise brilliantly sunny sky.

The only weather-related concern for this upcoming weekend will be the risk for minor to moderate flooding around the morning high tides. Friday morning’s high tide between 7.4-7.6′ may be commute-impacting as it takes place around 9:05am. Flooding would take place a couple hours on either side of high tide, and at this height, road closures in downtown Charleston begin to become more numerous. Even higher tides are expected Saturday and Sunday, with water levels forecast to peak solidly in moderate flood stage (7.5-8′ MLLW in Charleston Harbor). Once again, road closures are likely, though the impact may be lessened as it’ll be the weekend. The highest tides will take place around 9:58am on Saturday and 10:51am on Sunday. Keep an ear out for Coastal Flood Advisories this weekend as they will let you know when the roads are most likely to be disrupted.