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.
Much quieter weather is expected for Tuesday as a surface front moves by, shunting the plume of deep moisture that has absolutely soaked us for the past few days offshore and allowing the sun to break out. There’s still going to be some cloud cover, but we should get a good chance to dry out today.
There is going to be the risk for a few isolated storms to pop back up late today into tonight, but otherwise, it should be a good weather day with highs topping out in the low to mid-80s.
Shower and storm chances return Wednesday, but will be relatively short-lived as high pressure builds back in to close out the week, bringing us a sustained stretch of 90°+ highs and perhaps some even warmer heat indices as well.
A pesky mid-level low will continue to keep scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for the first part of the upcoming week. From there, high pressure returns and sends us right into summer to close the week.
After a reasonably quiet Friday, shower and thunderstorm chances return to the forecast for the weekend, bringing with it a decent shot at some much-needed rain but also the risk for a strong storm or two on Saturday.
May Day will be a partly cloudy affair across the Lowcountry as Atlantic high pressure continues to exert influence over our weather. We’ll start near 60° away from the locally warmer coastline, warming to the mid-80s in the afternoon. It’ll be a bit breezy especially as the seabreeze gets by in the early afternoon, but otherwise no major concerns are expected.
High pressure moving offshore will help send winds a little more southerly for the rest of the work week, and temperatures will respond with a subtle bump into the mid-80s each afternoon. Expect mostly sunny skies to prevail on Wednesday; lows in the upper 50s warm to about 85° in the afternoon, except a little cooler near the coast where the cooler Atlantic waters will modulate the high temperatures a bit.
Another seasonably warm and mostly sunny day is on tap for Tuesday as high pressure remains in control. We’ll start the day on the cool side of normal once again, with lows in the mid-to-upper 50s expected away from the coastline. Then, temperatures warm to the low 80s in the afternoon with plenty of sunshine throughout. Don’t forget the SPF!
We will still need to monitor tides in the late evening as water levels should peak between 7-7.2’ mean lower low water in Charleston Harbor a little before 10:30 PM. Some minor salt water flooding will be possible an hour or two around the time of high tide as a result, and another coastal flood advisory appears probable. This should do it for this high tide cycle, though, as astronomical influences wane and winds turn more unfavorable starting Wednesday.
High pressure will be the main weather feature for the next few days, with comfortable warmth and plenty of sunshine expected through Thursday before the next isolated storm chance arrives Friday.
A front slowly approaches the area during the day Saturday, and ahead of it we’ll see scattered showers and thunderstorms begin to develop during the afternoon as the inland-moving seabreeze combines with some mid-level energy aloft. Some brief heavy rain is possible but shouldn’t ultimately amount to a ton of rain in any one location. Temperatures will continue to run above normal for late April; expect lows in the mid-60s to warm to the mid-80s in the afternoon before storms kick in.
The front gets by on Sunday, and winds shift a little more northeasterly as a result. We’ll start in the mid-60s once again, but temperatures should peak a touch cooler than they did on Saturday, with highs in the low 80s under partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies. Quiet weather continues for a few more days, with temperatures warming back into the mid-to-upper 80s by the middle of next week.
A few more storms will be possible Thursday as the lingering stalled front hangs around a bit longer. This, combined with the seabreeze, keeps a slight chance for storms in the metro in play for a good bit of the day, though the rain chance should diminish as the seabreeze pushes further inland. Temperatures will still be on the warm side of normal, but cloud cover, storms, and onshore flow should keep highs suppressed to the low 80s.
