A relatively mild winter has one last trick up its sleeve as an unusually chilly airmass has descended from the Arctic onto the eastern half of the country. This brought Central Park in New York City only its second May 9 snow on record (first was in 1977) and has helped send numerous low temperatures to record levels all the way into Alabama and Mississippi.

We’ll go from abnormally warm to abnormally cool in the course of these next seven days as a very late-season shot of Canadian air comes down the eastern half of the country in time for Mother’s Day. First, though, we continue with our more summer-like conditions to start the week. A cold front will sag south during the day on Monday, helping to drive temperatures back into the upper 80s out ahead of it with the potential for some showers and storms along it. The front will meander in the area for a couple days, and as upper-level disturbances traverse it, it is possible that we may see some showers and thunderstorms.

Another front swings through Wednesday, cooling us off back into the upper 70s, followed by a reinforcing shot of cooler, drier air for the weekend as an unusually cold airmass of Canadian (and perhaps Arctic) origin surges southward into the eastern half of the Lower 48, sending temperatures well below mid-May normals in the low 80s. While we won’t see any frost or freeze concerns, you won’t have to go too terribly far north to find some! In fact, it is conceivable that the current NWS highs might be generous if some of the ensemble members are to be believed. Regardless, though, Mother’s Day should look pretty good across the Lowcountry!

Showers and thunderstorms associated with a cold front will move through the area tonight, bringing with it some brief heavy rain and perhaps the risk for a damaging wind gust or two through early Thursday morning. This is not the high-end risk we have seen in a few times in the past few weeks — not by a long shot! — but you may want to have a flashlight at bedside just in case of a brief power outage overnight as some sporadic wind damage does appear possible.

We’ll broach 80° tomorrow despite increasing cloud cover as a cold front approaches the area from the west with our main rain chance this week. There is a small chance that showers could develop near the coast in the late afternoon hours, but the best rain chances arrive overnight into Thursday morning with a band of showers and thunderstorms. Fortunately, severe weather is looking rather unlikely, though a few strong wind gusts will be possible. Will have more on this rain threat tomorrow as timings become more apparent — stay tuned.

Breezes will turn southerly on Tuesday as high pressure slips offshore, allowing temperatures to rise near to near 80° in the afternoon under mostly sunny skies. Humidity will be a touch higher, but you probably won’t notice — should be another really nice day. Try to enjoy!

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve even generated one of these seven-day graphics because I’ve spent the past two Sundays intensely focused on an overnight severe weather threat heading into the following Monday.

No such issues this week — in fact, the only severity in the weather on Monday will be how severely nice it will be. We start the new work week in the low 50s and end up in the mid-70s under full sunshine. 80s return on Tuesday as high pressure gradually shifts offshore. Our next rain chance should arrive by Wednesday night into early Thursday morning as a storm system crosses the Great Lakes, sending a trailing cold front down our way. A few thunderstorms are possible as well, but no severe weather is currently expected. We will clear out during the day Thursday, setting us up for an increasingly warm and mostly sunny weekend as we start May.

After the last two weekends of agonizing over the potential for severe weather in the Lowcountry, a quiet weekend is more than welcome. There will be slight chance of a shower or storm on Saturday afternoon as a cold front swings through, but moisture return is meager and so just an uptick in cloud cover is expected.

Sunday looks pretty great for a change — partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies with highs topping out right around 80° will make for a much nicer day than we’ve had the past couple Sundays. Take advantage as best as you can given our continued socially-distant circumstances!

As many of us had hoped for, the risk for severe weather was overtaken by stable, steady rain moving in across the Lowcountry this afternoon. There are still some rumbles of thunder, and certainly some decent rainfall in spots, but the risk for damaging wind gusts and tornadoes has ended in the Lowcountry.

Our active severe weather season continues with another risk of damaging wind gusts and perhaps a tornado or two this afternoon into the evening hours. (At least we will be awake for this one — in 2020, you take the wins you can get.)

Tuesday will be a mostly sunny day in-between cold fronts. Winds will turn from the south to the southwest throughout the day, allowing temperatures to swing from the mid-50s to around 80° in the afternoon. No weather hazards to speak of for Tuesday, thankfully — business as “usual” (by 2020 standards, anyway).