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.
UPDATE: As of 6:44am, the tornado watch for Charleston County has been canceled. The severe weather threat is over. Previous reporting below, for posterity:
A Tornado Watch has been issued until 11 am for Charleston County and the adjacent coastal waters. We continue to monitor the progression of a warm front that looks to destabilize the atmosphere primarily in the immediate Charleston metro area for now.
Inland counties (looking at you, Berkeley and Dorchester) remain in a very stable airmass. While the warm front could impinge upon these areas and yet destabilize here, it appears that the main threat for severe weather will be along the coast through the morning. With that in mind, though, trends will be watched, and it is possible the Watch may be extended further north.
In addition to tornadoes, gusts to 75 MPH will be possible as a potent low-level jet develops along the coast. Remember, straight-line winds can still cause plenty of problems; they account for a vast majority of the weather-related damage we see here.
This will be the live blog for this morning’s event. (Or, with any luck, non-event.) Follow along with updates below…
Another rough morning is in the cards with a squall line expected to move through the area. Said squall line may produce damaging wind gusts, hail, and tornadoes — a couple of which may become strong.
The squall line should be through the area by 11am, according to the latest NWS briefing. This seems reasonable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was out of here a lot sooner than that.
Some overnight severe weather is not out of the cards, but it increasingly appears that the threat for severe weather in the Tri-County area will arrive around sunrise. Still, don’t go to bed without having weather warnings that can wake you.
Flooding may be a concern, particularly around the 7:12am high tide.
Once the squall line clears the area, winds will shift northwest and we should see at least some partial breaks in the clouds before the day is over.
Good Sunday morning to you all. Once again, the Charleston metro area finds itself watching the weather intently for the potential for a few strong to severe thunderstorms, particularly tonight into tomorrow morning. The area is outlined with an enhanced severe weather risk, which is a 3 out of 5 on the Storm Prediction Center’s scale. Unfortunately, damaging winds and potentially strong tornadoes are once again on the table.
Our active spring severe weather season looks to continue Sunday night into Monday morning, as a potent storm system traverses a ripe, well-sheared airmass in the Southeast with the potential for tornadoes and damaging winds.
While damage surveys continue from this Monday’s tornado outbreak, we begin to look ahead to the upcoming weekend, which may hold another severe weather threat as we roll on into Sunday afternoon and evening.
After this morning’s deluge and a very chilly afternoon, Thursday’s going to be pretty great, weather-wise — much more sunshine, low humidity, and highs around 70 in the afternoon as surface high pressure settles in over much of the eastern half of the country. The normal high for April 16 is 77°, so this will run several degrees below normal. Most importantly, we’ll get a chance to dry out after a couple rounds of rather heavy rain. Try to enjoy it as best you can in these circumstances!
Get ready for another big temperature swing for Wednesday. We’ll have some showers in the area during the morning as low pressure shifts offshore, pushing a stalled front near the coast further eastward. As that happens, cool high pressure will build in, keeping temperatures well below normal for mid-April in the mid-60s — legit late-season hoodie weather for your walk around the neighborhood or grocery runs. Expect temperatures to continue below normal through the end of the work week.
Four-panel view from the KCLX radar illustrating a supercell moving through southern Hampton County with a very strong tornado signature.
April 13, 2020 will join April 16, 2011 and March 15, 2008 as days that will live on in local weather infamy. Some people lost their lives today — at least five fatalities were reported in Hampton County from the supercell depicted above. Others in places like Walterboro, Summerville, and Moncks Corner suffered serious damage to their homes or lost them entirely. It was a thankfully rare day that we hope to not see again for a good long while.
Unfortunately, we’ll be needing to spend this Easter evening getting ready for a round of strong storms tomorrow morning. The severe weather threat for Monday is coming into focus, and there’s not been much change to the previous thinking: A line of strong to severe thunderstorms will push through the area during the morning hours. These thunderstorms will be moving into an atmosphere that is favorable for strong, damaging wind gusts (70 MPH possible, according to the National Weather Service), a few tornadoes (one or two of which could be fairly potent), and large hail.
What’s clear about Monday is that, at some point, there will be a squall line with strong thunderstorms coming through the area. These storms will be capable of producing wind damage and could spawn a tornado or two along the leading edge of the line.
The degree to which this threat will materialize is going to be highly dependent on timing, and that’s where it gets tricky — but I’ll do my best to demystify it.
