After a couple cooler days, the 80s return to the Lowcountry starting Tuesday and lasting well into the beginning of April. High pressure remains the main weather feature, keeping us generally on the quiet side. A southerly breeze around 5-10 MPH will be common, especially as we get into the afternoon. Thankfully, some higher dewpoints will also continue to put a dent in the fire danger.

We’ll close March and open April on a quiet and comfortable note with plenty of sunshine and seasonably warm temperatures, especially as we head into midweek.

Another very warm day is on tap for Friday, with a daily high temperature record within reach once again ahead of a cold front. Temperatures will start around 60°, warming to the upper 80s in the afternoon before the seabreeze clears the area. The record high of 87° is absolutely in jeopardy, and some spots inland could get close to 90° once again.

Our brief cooldown comes to an end to close out the work week, with sunshine and 80s returning to the Lowcountry on Thursday. The day starts in the low-to-mid-50s, so you might go for a light jacket to start, but you’ll be able to shed that by mid-morning as temperatures climb. Highs peaking around 80° run a few degrees above normal for late March. Winds are quiet to start the day but pick up a little as the seabreeze pushes inland later in the day.

As expected, Tuesday was quite the dreary, cool day. We set the daily highs at both downtown and North Charleston after midnight, with the preliminary daily low of 53° being set in the afternoon as of the 5PM climate report. (This will get cooler — as of this writing, it’s 52° at the airport.) We begin to see signs of recovery on Wednesday, though, as the high pressure wedge weakens and scours out, allowing progressively more sunshine through during the day. Expect lows in the mid-40s to warm to the low 70s in the afternoon — basically right on target for this point in the year.

Tuesday could be quite a shock to the system after Monday’s record warmth. We’ll go from a high of 90° on Monday, which was not only a daily record high but the fourth earliest 90° day on record, to a high in the low 60s on Tuesday with mostly cloudy skies in the wake of a cold front that is entering the Tri-County area as of this writing. No rain is expected, but we can expect breezy northeasterly winds as a cold air damming regime takes hold, at least briefly.

The last full week of March promises quite a big swing in temperatures from seemingly day to day as a series of fronts affect the area. We’ll have a few shots at showers, too, but they don’t look likely to offer much in the way of drought relief.

Astronomical spring begins Friday with the vernal equinox at 10:46 AM, and the weather will certainly be appropriate as the warming trend that began Thursday continues into Friday and the rest of the weekend. Friday will be a very pleasant day, even just beyond being Friday; after a low around 40°, temperatures will warm to the low-to-mid-70s in the afternoon with plenty of sunshine to be had.

Another frosty start awaits for Thursday as temperatures fall to the upper 30s in the metro and a little lower across inland locations. Calmer winds and higher dewpoints will allow for frost formation overnight, particularly in Berkeley and Dorchester counties where a Frost Advisory is in effect through 9am. From there, it’ll feel much warmer than it did on Wednesday, with highs expected to peak some 10° warmer Thursday afternoon, generally in the mid-to-upper 60s. Cloud cover will be a bit variable, but generally expect a fair bit of sunshine throughout the day with no concerns for precipitation.

Quiet weather continues for the rest of the work week with high pressure in control. Wednesday gets off to a very chilly start with Freeze Warnings in effect as temperatures fall into the low 30s in the metro with perhaps some upper 20s further inland. Where temperatures don’t fall below freezing, frost will be a concern with mostly clear skies, so everyone should protect plants. Wednesday will remain much cooler than normal for mid-March with highs only peaking in the upper 50s. Clouds will be on the increase throughout the day but there are no concerns for any precipitation.