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.
The heat wave rolls on into Thursday as we continue to sit between low pressure to the west and high pressure over the Atlantic, funneling warm and humid air into the area. We once again look to get off to a very warm and humid start with lows topping out in the upper 70s inland to low 80s near the coast. Temperatures will then warm to the low-to-mid-90s in the afternoon before showers and thunderstorms kick off, cooling some spots down. Daytime heating combined with mid-to-upper-70s dewpoints will drive heat indices to around 108-112° inland and approaching 116° closer to the coast. This has prompted an Extreme Heat Warning for Charleston and southern portions of Berkeley County (Hanahan, Daniel Island) along with an expansion of the heat advisory inland to the rest of Berkeley and Dorchester counties from 11am-8pm. Get plenty of hydration and be sure to take frequent breaks indoors or in the shade if you are working outdoors during the heat of the day!
Expect showers and storms to kick off in the noon-2pm timeframe. Slow-moving storms are again expected, with the potential for training of rainfall over some of the same areas, yielding some heavy rain and perhaps a few more flood advisories. Lightning will also be prevalent once again, so be ready to head inside if thunderstorms approach. It won’t rain all day at any one spot, though.
Our late-July heat wave continues for the rest of the work week, but thankfully with some afternoon and evening thunderstorms to help take the edge off a bit.
The heat wave continues on Tuesday, but we will be getting past its peak as the high pressure ridge aloft continues to migrate westward, allowing for more shower and thunderstorm activity to develop in the afternoon. We’ll still be hot enough for a Heat Advisory, with low temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s yielding to highs in the mid-90s. Mix in mid-to-upper-70s dewpoints and you get heat indices topping out around 110° or so before showers and thunderstorms develop. Guidance generally keeps things dry through about 1-2 PM before numerous storms kick off generally away from the coast. Widespread severe weather isn’t expected, but a couple storms could produce some strong winds, and there will be a risk for flooding if storms train. Remember, every thunderstorm is dangerous because of the lightning it produces, so be sure to head indoors if a storm threatens your area.
Hot weather continues for much of the upcoming week, but as the ridge of high pressure that’s baking us slides westward, that will allow for some moisture to work its way back in, inviting showers and thunderstorms to develop each afternoon on the seabreeze.
Sunday’s going to be a very hot day across the area, with extreme heat expected across the Charleston metro especially as we get into the afternoon. The overnight and morning really won’t offer much relief, with air temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s for lows expected. This could keep heat indices over 90° especially closer to the coast, including downtown, for much of the night. Once the sun comes up, we’ll warm up very quickly; heat indices should be over 100° by 10-11am. Air temperatures should peak near 100° in the afternoon, and if we reach the triple digits at the airport, it’ll at least tie a record high (100°, set in 2005) as well as the first time since May 27, 2019 that the high temperature reached the century mark in Charleston. Mix in humidity and it will feel like 115° and perhaps even hotter, especially in the wake of the seabreeze as dewpoints surge behind it. The strong ridge of high pressure will put the kibosh on any thunderstorm activity, so don’t look for any relief from Mother Nature on Sunday.
Heat indices over 110° are dangerous to everyone. Make sure you’re getting any exercise in during the early hours, get plenty of fluids if you must be outdoors, and take frequent breaks.
This is one of those weekends where you probably want to just stay in a nice, cool place as a heat wave begins to ramp up across the Lowcountry, with the potential for several record highs and record warm low temperatures to occur starting Saturday through much of next week.
Anomalously strong high pressure builds in aloft starting Friday, bringing about the hottest weather of the year. We’ll challenge record high temperatures as well as record warm low temperatures, with heat advisories and even Extreme Heat Warnings a likelihood.
The stationary front that’s been lingering nearby will begin to fall apart on Thursday as high pressure begins to build in, bringing storm chances down and temperatures up especially as we head into the weekend, which looks particularly hot.
The stalled front that brought us some flooding rains and severe weather on Tuesday lingers over the next couple days before high pressure nudges in, sending rain chances down and temperatures up for Friday.
