After another 99° day at the airport, we’ll take one more run at the century mark on Saturday before a front drops toward the area on Sunday, bringing about more unsettled weather that will keep temperatures a little more in check.

Charleston International Airport hit 100° today. It’s the first century-mark temperature reading there since May 29, 2019. There will be a couple more opportunities to get back there before the pattern changes to something more unsettled and cooler late this weekend into next week.

It was a stifling hot Wednesday in the Lowcountry, with highs reaching the upper 90s and heat indices peaking between 113-116° in parts of the metro area. Another round of high heat is in store for Thursday, as temperatures once again return to the upper 90s. Dewpoints near the coast and behind the seabreeze should surge well into the mid-to-upper 70s once again, sending heat indices between 108-113° (with locally higher readings possible) in the Highway 17 corridor. This has prompted another Extreme Heat Warning for Charleston County as well as the southern portion of Berkeley County that includes Hanahan and Daniel Island. Elsewhere, a Heat Advisory will be in effect for heat indices around 108-110°. Model guidance still suggests a few showers and thunderstorms will fire off along and ahead of the seabreeze, which will help cool some of us off. Coastward storm motions moving against the inland-moving seabreeze could cause some back-building of thunderstorms with some locally heavy rain. The strongest storms could produce damaging wind gusts, and a warning or two can’t be totally ruled out as a result.

Dangerous heat and humidity continues across the Lowcountry as we get into the second half of the work week with fewer opportunities for relief from thunderstorms.

The heat wave continues Tuesday with another hot and humid day on tap, followed by a scattering of afternoon thunderstorms. We’ll start in the upper 70s inland to low 80s near the coast and downtown, warming to the mid-90s in the afternoon. Dewpoints in the mid-70s will drive heat indices toward 108-110°. Another Heat Advisory will be in effect for Charleston and Berkeley counties as a result. Further inland toward Dorchester, dewpoints should be ever so slightly low enough to stay out of Heat Advisory criteria, but it’s still going to be plenty hot.

From there, a few thunderstorms should fire along and ahead of the seabreeze. Storm motions should be a little more coastward, so keep an eye out at the beaches for possible thunderstorms. A stray severe storm is not out of the question, with damaging wind gusts and hail to the size of quarters possible.

A fairly standard but quite hot summertime pattern takes residence this week, keeping temperatures quite warm — perhaps threatening records at times — with the risk for a few afternoon thunderstorms each day.

The 250th anniversary of our independence will be a warm one, with highs approaching the record of 98° set in 2023. Lingering dry air, though, will keep thunderstorms at bay and heat indices from getting too far out of hand. Still, we can expect heat indices to push into the 100-105° range in the afternoon, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting plenty of fluids and time in the shade. We’ll have a few clouds from time to time, but otherwise expect plenty of sunshine, especially at the beaches. Make sure you’re applying sunscreen regularly as the UV index is expected to reach 10 during the height of the day. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

A hot and increasingly humid airmass will blanket the Lowcountry for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Temperatures will run in the mid-90s each day, and with dewpoints climbing back into the 70s, heat indices will continue to escalate into the 100s, with the highest values each day being found in the Highway 17 corridor where the best overlap of dewpoints and air temperatures will be found. Heat indices will peak around 100-101° on Friday, 102-106° on Saturday, and should approach the Heat Advisory threshold of 108° on Sunday. Nights will impart increasingly less relief, too, with lows climbing into the upper 70s to around 80° by Sunday, warmest near the coast and in downtown Charleston. The warm nights will compound heat stress, especially for folks who don’t have adequate cooling, which is why it’s so important to take it easy during these hot stretches.

If you’re looking for thunderstorms to cool things off, I wouldn’t really count on those either. The atmosphere should stay capped Friday and Saturday, with a slightly better chance for a stray storm on Sunday but still low enough of a chance as to be technically unmentionable (~10%). If a storm can kick off, watch for frequent lightning and gusty winds. With that being said, the vast majority of us should get a rain-free holiday weekend in.

High pressure continues to dominate the weather pattern, which keeps things toasty and rain-free for Thursday. Fortunately, drier air will still be in place for one more day, which will allow for lows to drop to the low 70s in the morning. From there, we’ll warm to the mid-90s in the afternoon. Dewpoints will mix down to the mid-60s, keeping heat indices within a degree or two of the air temperature. It’ll still be plenty hot, but a drier heat will be appreciated.

High pressure remains the primary weather driver at the surface and aloft for the rest of the work week, keeping temperatures toasty. Northeast flow over the next couple days, though, helps to bring in some drier air, which will keep heat indices from popping off too much. Wednesday starts in the low-to-mid-70s, with temperatures warming into the low to mid-90s in the afternoon under generally partly cloudy skies. The aforementioned stacked high pressure and influx of drier air will keep convection to a minimum.