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Author: Jared Smith

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.

Tuesday: Thunderstorms developing this afternoon, with heavy rain and flooding possible

/ July 22, 2025 at 8:14 AM

Thunderstorms will feature prominently in today’s forecast as the seabreeze pushes inland and a front drops in from the north.

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The week ahead: Searing hot start, but turning more unsettled

/ July 20, 2025 at 8:14 PM

This weekend’s hot weather continues into Monday, but a more unsettled pattern will cool temperatures down back to normal (still not chilly, but not overwhelmingly hot, either) as rain chances tick back up.

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Weekend forecast: Very hot, nary a shower or storm

/ July 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM

We’ve got a rather hot weekend ahead as high pressure builds in overhead and at the surface. We can expect temperatures each day to head into the upper 90s each afternoon, with heat indices surging to around 110° in spots especially in the immediate wake of the seabreeze.

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Friday & the weekend: Heat turns up a notch; advisories possible

/ July 17, 2025 at 10:57 PM

The story for Friday and the weekend will be the potential for dangerous heat as high pressure ridges in overhead and at the surface while dewpoints continue to run in the low-to-mid-70s, helping to keep overnight lows elevated to near record-warm levels and storm chances suppressed, worsening the risk for heat stress as a result.

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Thursday: Storm chances decrease, heat starts to build

/ July 16, 2025 at 6:11 PM

Storms will be more hit-or-miss on Thursday as high pressure aloft starts to rebuild, which will heat things up for the weekend. Temperatures will start in the mid-to-upper 70s, with lows possibly not getting below 80° at the beaches. We’ll warm to the low-to-mid-90s in the afternoon, and with limited storm coverage, heat indices should have no trouble getting into the low-to-mid-100s, especially post-seabreeze.

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Rest of the work week: Pretty standard July fare

/ July 15, 2025 at 9:51 PM

Warm and muggy conditions with a few afternoon storms continue across the Lowcountry for the rest of the work week, as we do in mid-July. Generally speaking, every day will feature very, very warm starts in the upper 70s to around 80° near the coast, with highs in the low 90s each afternoon. Highs warm as we get further along in the week with high pressure building back into the area, and we’ll turn even warmer as we head into the weekend.

Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms each afternoon along and ahead of the seabreeze. As usual this time of year, storms will be of the pulse variety (pop up, mature, collapse) and won’t produce any organized severe weather. However, where outflow boundaries from collapsing storms collide, storms could briefly turn strong to severe, with wet microbursts the most likely mode of severe weather. Regardless of severity, all thunderstorms are dangerous due to the lightning they produce. When thunder roars, go indoors!

Tuesday: Status quo prevails

/ July 14, 2025 at 11:13 PM

We’ve got more of the same in store weather-wise for Tuesday. We’ll start in the mid-70s (with even warmer temperatures near the coast), warming to about the low 90s again under partly cloudy skies. Dewpoints are still quite muggy, and those low 90s will feel more like 100° during the height of the afternoon. We’ll continue to see some drier air slot into the area, which should limit (but not completely stamp out) thunderstorm coverage along and ahead of the seabreeze. Some spots could see some heavy rain at times, but storm motions seem reasonably progressive so major flooding issues aren’t expected. Overall, just another summer day here in the Lowcountry.

The week ahead: More warmth, more afternoon storms

/ July 13, 2025 at 5:03 PM

Warm temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms will continue to figure prominently in the forecast this week with high pressure rebuilding aloft.

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Weekend forecast: Staying warm and stormy

/ July 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM

Plenty of heat and humidity continues as we head into the weekend, and this will lead to more afternoon thunderstorms (though perhaps not quite as many, especially Sunday). A ridge of high pressure aloft will nudge into the area from the west — enough to keep the heat on, but not quite enough to totally squelch the afternoon thunderstorm threat either. Temperatures will run in the mid-to-upper 70s each morning, warming to the low-to-mid-90s each afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms will initiate on the seabreeze as it pushes inland, though the prevailing flow around the ridge could send some storms back coastward — something to think about if the beach is in your plans. The ridge nudges in a bit more for Sunday, and that should help to keep the risk for thunderstorms a little lower than on Saturday, but either way, just be prepared to bring your outdoor activities indoors if thunderstorms approach.

Friday & the weekend: A little hotter, a touch less stormy

/ July 10, 2025 at 8:19 PM

We should see more thunderstorms on Friday as mid-level energy continues to affect the area for one more day. High pressure then ridges in aloft for the weekend, warming temperatures up and taking storm chances down a notch.

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