Jared Smith founded @chswx on Twitter in 2008 as an experiment in disseminating weather data through social media. In the ensuing decade-and-a-half, @chswx has provided live coverage of tropical cyclones, tornadoes, severe weather, and even a couple bouts of winter weather to the good people of Charleston, SC.
There’s really not terribly much to write home about weather-wise for Friday and the weekend with high pressure remaining in control. Temperatures will remain on the warm side of normal, particularly on Friday and Saturday. We start each day in the upper 60s, warming to the upper 80s Friday and into the mid-80s on Saturday with mostly sunny skies expected. A front sinking south across the area on Sunday will bring in some cloud cover and maybe even a stray shower or two, along with gusty winds (especially at the coast). This will keep highs a little cooler as a result, but still right around normal for this point in the year. Dewpoints will remain elevated — generally running in the upper 60s to around 70° — so there will be a bit of mugginess in the air as well (especially compared to how we started the week).
With winds starting to come back around to the northeast, we could see another round of coastal flooding begin with Saturday evening’s high tide. Stay tuned for possible Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.
Another warm day is ahead for Thursday as high pressure generally remains in control with winds coming a bit more out of the west and southwest. Temperatures Thursday start much warmer than they did on Wednesday, with lows in the upper 60s to around 70° expected. We’ll warm to the mid-to-upper 80s in the afternoon under generally partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or storm is possible well inland, but the vast, vast majority of us will stay rain-free.
There’s not too much to write home about weather-wise for Tuesday other than it will be a really nice mid-September day across the Lowcountry. Below-normal temperatures continue, with lows in the low 60s warming to the low 80s in the afternoon under mostly sunny skies. Dewpoints mix down to the mid-50s in the afternoon, making the warmth comfortable. Plus, water levels will fall short of flood stage Tuesday as we get further away from the full moon and the recent perigee, so there are no coastal flooding concerns for the rest of the week, either.
The week ahead will remain generally quiet, but we’ll start to turn warmer later this week as high pressure ridges in aloft. Slight shower and storm chances return to the area for the weekend, particularly on Sunday.
More sunshine will show itself starting Friday and lasting into the weekend courtesy of continued high pressure and northeasterly winds keeping a feed of cooler and drier air coming in. All in all, we can expect lows in the mid-60s each morning, with highs peaking in the low to mid-80s in the afternoon. Fun fact: This looks like the first weekend since July 26-27 without at least a trace of rain at either of the climate sites, so suffice it to say, we are very, very due for a quiet weekend of weather.
Thursday will run a bit on the cloudy side, but we’ll still see some peeks of sun at times to allow temperatures to warm from the mid-60s in the morning to the mid-80s in the afternoon. Northeasterly winds persist, keeping dewpoints relatively low and the air comfortably warm as a result. We will continue to contend with some salt water flooding around the midday high tide, which could close a few roads for those of us headed for an early lunch downtown.
Another quiet weather day is ahead as high pressure wedges across the area from the northeast. Expect a mix of sun and clouds with comfortable temperatures. We start the day in the mid-60s, warming to about 80° in the afternoon. It’ll be a bit breezy, with winds gusting around 15-20 MPH especially near the coast. These northeasterly winds will continue to drive tidal departures in Charleston Harbor above flood stage, and we should see minor to moderate flooding with the 9:35 AM high tide. Some flooding may have impacts on the tail end of the commute, so be prepared for delays if downtown is your destination.
A front which helped stir up another round of heavy rain and flooding in downtown Charleston on Sunday will clear the area overnight into early Monday, yielding a week of comfortable temperatures with occasional slight shower and storm chances.
After a few welcome rain-free days, shower and storm chances return to the forecast for Sunday as a cold front moves into the area. We’ll start the day in the low 70s, working our way into the upper 80s in the afternoon before showers and storms kick off. Some rain could be heavy at times, and lightning may be an issue particularly inland where some stronger storms may be possible. It won’t be an all-day rainout, thankfully, but you’ll want to have your indoor plans ready to go if thunderstorms approach.
Isolated salt water flooding may also be a concern around the 7:47 PM high tide. The current total water level forecast brings the tide right to around 7′, which may be enough to cause a little flooding on the most vulnerable roads in downtown Charleston. The risk for coastal flooding around times of high tide increase throughout the first part of the week with the combination of the full moon, lunar perigee, and northeasterly winds in the wake of Sunday’s front, so stay tuned for Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.
Warmer and a little more humid air will return to the area Friday as winds go more southerly. With high pressure remaining in control for a few more days, though, we’ll stay largely quiet weather-wise this weekend before a front starts to affect the area later Sunday.