2021 is going to close out on a very warm note for the Lowcountry. At the surface, subtropical high pressure will hold firm while the flow aloft continues in a zonal pattern, resulting in an inability to get any fronts through here until the first of the year.

We’ll have at least one or two more opportunities to break record highs before 2021 is all said and done. Wednesday should feature a little less cloud cover, allowing temperatures to challenge the record high of 79° set in 2015. Despite the possibility of some scattered showers Thursday as an upper disturbance ripples by, temperatures should still warm into the upper 70s. (This will fall short of the record of 82°, though, set in 2015.) Partly to mostly cloudy skies return Friday with highs in the upper 70s once again getting close to the record of 78° set in 1996. Indeed, it would be a fitting end to a year that started with a record high — 80° on New Year’s Day.

Atlantic high pressure will keep its hold across the area, and as a result, we’ll stay quite warm continuing into Tuesday. Cloud cover will act as a bit of a governor on just how warm we get, but we should expect another day of upper 70s across much of the area. It won’t be record heat, though: the record high for Tuesday is 82°, last set in 2015, which appears safe (unlike today’s record high of 78°, which we tied).

Cooler weather is still several days away, but it does look like we’ll begin to see things cool off as we kick off the first work week of 2022. Stay tuned…

We head into Christmas weekend with mostly quiet weather on tap as high pressure remains in command. After another chilly start Friday morning, we will warm into the upper 60s for the afternoon, some 10°+ warmer than what many spots experienced today.

No impediments to sleigh aviation are expected overnight Friday into Christmas morning, which is good news all around. Temperatures will bottom out about 10° warmer on Christmas morning than we will see on Friday in the upper 40s to perhaps low 50s near the coast. Highs in the low 70s will be common on Christmas Day as our warming trend continues, and we turn even warmer on Sunday as highs top out in the mid-70s after starting the day with lows that will run closer to normal highs for this point in the year.

Overall, though, no weather worries for this holiday weekend. Enjoy, be safe, and if you’re celebrating, have a very merry Christmas!

A reinforcing cold front will drop through the area tonight, bringing us mostly clear skies overnight and another round of cool air that should help temperatures drop to near freezing in the metro area, and likely right at freezing inland. (We’ll stay a little warmer at the coast.) Make sure pets and plants are in a warm, protected place tonight.

After Thursday, temperatures will warm back into the 60s for Friday and the low 70s for Christmas. We’ll keep fair weather in the forecast through early next week with continued warmer-than-normal temperatures as we approach the end of 2021.

For as cruddy as Tuesday was, Wednesday looks significantly nicer. We’ll keep a late-December feel to the air with highs only getting to about 60° in the afternoon under mostly sunny skies as high pressure builds in from the west. This will begin another rain-free stretch for our area into early next week. High pressure moves to our north and shifts winds around to the northeast for Thursday, keeping us in the 50s despite almost full sunshine. After high pressure moves offshore Friday, we’ll warm up into the 70s for a few days starting on Christmas Day. All in all, looking good for any last-minute gift acquisition.

Get ready for an unsettled and chilly Tuesday with rain and breezy northeast winds for much of the day. Rain could start as early as 1-2am, but will peak during the day with up to 1-1.5” possible in spots as low pressure moves northeastward parallel to the coast.

Chilly high pressure will remain wedged into the area through tomorrow, and the interaction between it and the low pressure system will help kick up northeasterly winds, especially at the coast. We could even see some minor salt water flooding with the 9:02am high tide as the wind could push the tidal anomaly close to 7’.

Elsewhere, this wind will make temperatures feel even cooler than they already will be, with wind chills in the 30s possible well into mid-morning. Winds notwithstanding, the forecast high of 51° may very well be optimistic especially given rain falling into the wedge, helping to reinforce the cold air dam across the area.

The good news is that our weather improves beginning Wednesday, and we’ll be on our way to a warming trend with much more sunshine heading into and beyond Christmas.

After a cold front came through and chilled us way out today, we will stay in this chilly pattern for a few more days ahead of a late-week warmup as high pressure wedges into the area. Monday looks to remain dry with peeks of sun amongst the clouds; chilly northeasterly winds will keep highs suppressed in the low 50s. Low 50s may be very optimistic for Tuesday’s highs given the potential for strengthening northeasterly winds and expected rainfall around a low pressure system throughout the day helping to reinforce the cool wedge.

Said storm system departs Wednesday, allowing us to dry out and warm up a little bit with highs near 60° in the afternoon. Even fewer clouds look to be an issue for Thursday as temperatures once again approach 60°.

By Friday, we will be heading into a warming trend that’ll put us in the upper 60s to low 70s for Christmas Day with continued sunny skies. Certainly no concerns for sleigh aviation overnight Friday into Christmas morning on Saturday, which is always welcome news.

Aside from the storm system on Tuesday, we’ll need to watch morning high tides this week for the potential for coastal flooding given the recent full moon and strong northeasterly winds. A major coastal flooding event is not expected, but minor salt water flooding could cause a few roads to take on water. We’ll especially need to watch Tuesday in case heavy rain coincides with high tide. Fortunately, as the pressure gradient near the coast relaxes, so will the coastal flooding threat.

Record high temperatures will be possible Friday and Saturday as deep southerly flow pumps a lot of warm air into the area ahead of a cold front currently timed to get through here on Sunday.

We’ll start Friday with some patches of fog in the area giving way to a mix of clouds & sun. A sprinkle or two can’t totally be ruled out, either. The forecast high of 78° would tie the record high set in 1971, and a low of 59° would tie the record high minimum temperature set in 2012. We’ll certainly be on record watch throughout the day!

Saturday may also approach record warmth despite a little more cloud cover. The record high for December 18 is 80°, set in 2008. Once again, we may start the day with some patches of fog.

By Sunday, though, a cold front will be getting through the area, capping temperatures to around 70° with a scattering of showers becoming most likely from the late morning to early afternoon. Departing low pressure may kick up the winds a little bit, and could contribute to a threat of coastal flooding as we get into Monday. Thereafter, the next risk of rain arrives Tuesday as a coastal storm potentially scrapes the area. We’ve got plenty of weekend before we have to worry about that, though.

Dry weather continues as we close out the last full work week of 2021, with a warming trend into the mid-70s to boot as high pressure remains in control with ridging aloft hanging on for a few more days. We’ll see an increase in cloud cover as moisture begins to work back into the area in the upper levels, but rain looks to hold off until a front arrives on Sunday. Otherwise, not too much to write home about in the near term. We’ll be keeping an eye on the potential for a storm system to bring some additional rain to the area early next week as a Gulf low spins up and moves eastward. Beyond that, model agreement is still far apart on the specifics, so we’ll just have to watch how trends evolve over the next few days. For now, though, enjoy the relatively quiet weather!

High pressure at the surface and aloft will make for a quiet and increasingly warm work week across the Lowcountry. We’ll start Monday on a chilly note as lows should dip into the 30s across much of the area away from the immediate coast. Highs will top out in the mid-60s under mostly sunny skies. We turn a little warmer on Tuesday and Wednesday, starting out with mid-40s and ending in the upper 60s. As high pressure slips offshore, we’ll start to see even more of a warming trend establish itself to close out the week, with highs in the 70s Thursday through Saturday. Our next front and rain chance looks to arrive Sunday, with showers possible and highs topping out in the mid-60s. Other than that, though, there are no weather worries to speak of other than the potential for drought to continue to expand across parts of the Southeast.