High pressure moving into the Atlantic has pushed a coastal trough closer to the coast. Its enhanced moisture convergence has kept us a little cloudier than we might like today, with even some showers coming ashore at times throughout the day. A mix of sun and clouds looks to continue into Sunday, with a slight chance of some showers once again brushing the coast. The vast majority of us look to stay rain-free, and northeasterly winds combined with a little bit more cloud cover should keep temperatures down in the low 80s once again.

All in all, expect another nice weekend across the Lowcountry as a little cooler air works down into the area over the next few days. Temperatures will generally top out in the low to mid-80s across the area, with lows in the upper 60s inland and the low 70s near the coast. Aside from a small risk for a shower or storm tonight, particularly in the upper reaches of the Tri-County, our next appreciable rain chance doesn’t arrive until next Tuesday.

The tropics remain busy, but Hurricane Sam and recently-minted Tropical Storm Victor are staying out to sea and are not threats to the Lowcountry. We may see some enhanced rip current risk and wave action from Sam over the next few days, so be aware of this risk if the beach is in your plans. Otherwise, no concerns. Fingers crossed it stays this way — we’ve got two months to go in what has been a very busy 2021 hurricane season.

The temperature curve is very much respecting Wednesday as Hump Day with highs topping out in the upper 80s, as high as they’ll get this week before gradually coming down for Thursday and Friday as a dry cold front sinks south across the area. Mornings will remain a little on the warmer side, with upper 60s to low 70s common across the metro area, warmest near the beaches and coolest inland.

We’ll remain rain-free despite a front coming through Thursday as moisture remains in limited supply. In fact, the first appreciable rain chance we’ve seen in more than a week will probably arrive on Monday or Tuesday, and even then right now the chances are pretty slim.

The tropics remain busy as Hurricane Sam continues to churn in the Atlantic. There are also two areas of interest in the far eastern Atlantic that are very likely to exhaust the primary name list for the second consecutive season, but neither those areas nor Sam are a threat to the Carolinas as we move into October.

We’ll continue with dry weather on Tuesday, though dewpoints will continue to creep up and put a little more humidity into the picture. Temperatures will continue to run in the mid-80s tomorrow and for the next couple days before a weak front swings through the area later this week, knocking highs back down to around 80°. All in all, we’re good on the weather front — now we just need the seismic activity to chill.

The 3.3 magnitude earthquake many of you felt earlier this evening was centered just north of West Ashley. This was the first 3+ magnitude earthquake in the Lowcountry since 2014, and the strongest since a 3.6 quake near Sangaree in 2008. There were two other earthquakes beforehand: a 2.8 near Summerville at 12:49 PM followed by a 2.0 in the same vicinity just before 1PM. It’s impossible to know if there will be additional shocks, but these small quakes are a fact of life in the Lowcountry and happen somewhat more frequently than you might think; it’s rare to have one that is very well-felt, though. Something tells me Mother Nature just wanted something for the weather/earth science people to do given the quiet conditions. 🙂

We will close out September with a weather winning streak intact. Temperatures will gradually moderate into the mid-to-upper 80s as we get into midweek with mostly sunny skies each day. We could see a front swing through later in the week; while it will be moisture-starved, it might be able to squeeze out a storm or two. Then, back into the low 80s for the weekend, with mostly sunny skies prevailing. Not a bad way to close out the month and head into the fourth quarter of 2021 (already!).

We’ve earned it: A beautiful weekend is imminent as the first really solid shot of fall weather, ushered in by a cold front that swung through late last night, continues for the next several days. Lows look to bottom out in the upper 50s for the first time since June 1, and we likely will top out right around 80° under full sunshine. Similar conditions, with perhaps a few more clouds, continue into Saturday. Sunday will certainly live up to its name, with temperatures beginning to moderate ever so slightly back to the low 80s with continued low humidity.

Get outside!

Beautiful day ahead in the wake of a cold front which swept through last night. Cooler, drier air will filter in throughout the day, and highs should only top out around 80° as a result with low humidity and copious amounts of sunshine. Pretty fantastic.

This will begin a bit of a weather winning streak for us, with tranquil and comfortable conditions continuing well into next week. Enjoy!

We have one more warm and muggy day ahead with a scattering of showers and thunderstorms ahead of a cold front; once this front gets through tonight and into tomorrow morning, conditions will take a turn for the awesome to close out the work week and head into the weekend. For today, though, keep rain gear handy. It won’t rain all day but if it does, it could be briefly heavy. (At least we’re getting some sun this morning!)

Astronomical fall begins this afternoon at 3:21 PM — it will certainly feel a lot like this after today. Looking forward to it!

Periods of heavy rain will remain possible overnight into Tuesday as we remain within a little firehose of moisture funneling between high pressure to the north and low pressure to the south. At 5PM, the airport had recorded 1.47” of rain and downtown had received .80” with more to come. (It wasn’t as bad as Savannah, though, which has recorded almost 6” of rain just today, shattering a 136-year-old record.)

A Flash Flood Watch continues until noon Tuesday, though if wetter trends continue this could be extended further into the day. Of most concern is the 8:50 AM high tide, which may top out between 7.2-7.4’, already well within minor flood stage. Salt water on a few roads is a given; we’ll need to see what kind of rain is in the area Tuesday morning to determine whether additional water piles up on top. Either way, expect another soggy day with another 1-2” of rain in the forecast, with locally heavier amounts. Temperatures will once again be held down into the low 80s at best given copious amounts of cloud cover and rainfall in the area.

Salt water flooding will continue to be an issue over the next few days, with another bout expected around the 9:18 PM high tide Tuesday night and then again with Wednesday morning’s high tide around 9:31 AM. Keep attuned to coastal flood advisories from the National Weather Service.

Let’s start with the good news: Cooler, drier, fall-like air is coming this weekend. It’s going to be gorgeous. Plan your outdoor activities appropriately.

To get there, though, we need to get through a few soggy days with a risk of flooding, both of the tidal and freshwater (rainfall) variety.