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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. Somehow, it caught on, and he kept doing it.

Weekend forecast: No concerns with high pressure in control

/ April 5, 2024 at 11:03 PM

A great weekend of weather awaits for all sorts of outdoorsy things, including the Bridge Run and Flowertown. Expect plenty of sunshine with just a few clouds at times as high pressure remains in control across the area.

A weak front dropping southward across SC as of this writing will reinforce some cooler temperatures for Saturday. We’ll start the day in the mid-40s, warming to just the upper 60s to around 70° in the afternoon, which is a few clicks below normal. However, this should be optimal for Bridge Runners as the drier air will allow for efficient cooling via perspiration. Winds out of the north could bring a bit of a crosswind at times, but otherwise, no concerns.

Temperatures moderate some for Sunday, as we’re solidly back in the low 70s in the afternoon after another low-to-mid-40s start. Mostly sunny skies will remain the rule, and winds will be generally light. It’ll be another outstanding day to get outside before Spring Break ends.

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Rest of the work week: Stormy Wednesday, then cooling off

/ April 2, 2024 at 9:46 PM

This stretch of warmer-than-normal temperatures comes to an end on Wednesday as a cold front moves through the area. Showers and thunderstorms will be ongoing ahead of the front, and there will be a risk for a few of those storms to be on the strong to severe side. Damaging wind gusts will be the main concern, but a tornado or two can’t be totally ruled out as the line pushes eastward. If storms take a little longer to get here, that could increase the severe weather threat as well. I’d be prepared for a somewhat stormy morning commute. The good news is that the front should clear the area by evening, sweeping showers and storms offshore and allowing cooler and drier air to work into the area. Windy conditions will be expected so be careful on the bridges.

From there, temperatures run several degrees below normal for the next few days, including Bridge Run weekend. Thursday will be a much sunnier day than Wednesday, but will run almost 10° cooler in the wake of the front. Expect highs to top out in the upper 60s to around 70° in the afternoon. Friday will start even cooler, with lows in the mid-40s yielding to highs in the upper 60s once again under mostly sunny skies.

We’ll start the Bridge Run in the mid-40s and warm to the mid-60s in the afternoon under mostly sunny skies. Dewpoints will run in the low 30s in the morning, dropping to the upper 20s in the afternoon as daytime heating mixes down even drier air. All in all, sweat should be a rather efficient cooling mechanism, and there are otherwise no weather concerns.

The week ahead: Very warm start to April followed by a below-normal cooldown

/ March 31, 2024 at 10:59 PM

We’ll get April off to an almost early June-like start before a front comes through Wednesday and knocks temperatures down to more comfortable levels heading into Bridge Run weekend. (In fact, many of y’all might find it a little chilly!)

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Friday & Easter weekend: Picture-perfect

/ March 28, 2024 at 10:35 PM

We’ve got no weather concerns for Good Friday and the Easter weekend. High pressure will be in control, and skies will be predominantly sunny for the next few days as a result. Temperatures will be on a warming trend throughout the period. We start Friday in the mid-40s and warm to the low 70s in the afternoon with full sunshine and low humidity. As high pressure at the surface shifts offshore a bit, temperatures will moderate. Expect Saturday to start around 50° and warm to the mid-to-upper 70s, while Easter Sunday will feature lows in the mid-50s and highs in the low 80s in the afternoon. All in all, a great weekend to get outside a bit (just mind the pollen!)

Thursday: Improving weather heading into Easter weekend

/ March 27, 2024 at 9:56 PM

Showers will be coming to an end Thursday morning, yielding a quiet and increasingly warm period for Good Friday and Easter weekend. We should see the rain exit the area by midday, and from there, cloud cover will diminish. It’ll be a cool day in the wake of a cold front; expect highs to only top out in the mid-60s in the afternoon. The breeze will kick up at times as cooler air moves into the area behind the front as well, but it shouldn’t be too terribly gusty, either.

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Rest of the work week: Stormy Hump Day, then improving heading into Easter weekend

/ March 26, 2024 at 9:23 PM

Rain chances peak on Wednesday as a front stalls nearby before moving through overnight. Showers and a few thunderstorms will generally be the rule for much of the day, though it may not rain all day at any one spot. Cloud cover will be prevalent, which will keep lows in the low 60s in the morning. Warm air pumping in ahead of the front will allow temperatures to top out in the mid-70s despite the thick cloud cover and rain in the area. The best chance of any heavier rain looks to be later Wednesday evening into the overnight as the front presses in. Right now, a major flooding threat doesn’t seem to be in the cards, but some ponding of water is certainly possible in spots.

Showers diminish as we head through Thursday, and we should be mostly clear by the end of the day. Post-cold front, temperatures will peak just in the upper 60s, a few degrees below normal for late March. This yields an absolutely beautiful Good Friday across the Lowcountry — we start in the mid-40s and warm to the low 70s in the afternoon under full sunshine. A warming trend follows into Easter weekend, and we should be in the low 80s for a spell starting Easter Sunday.

The week ahead: Generally quiet start and finish, with storms in the middle

/ March 24, 2024 at 10:59 PM

The final week of March gets off to a chilly start, followed by another round of showers and thunderstorms, before an Easter weekend warmup that should find us getting back into the 80s before it’s over.

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Friday & the weekend: Quite rainy, but we salvage Sunday

/ March 21, 2024 at 10:00 PM

First off, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve not been posting the past few days. I’ve had a fairly significant death in my family that has kept me away from work and weather, and that will keep the posting and podcast schedule fairly bare at times for the next couple weeks. I’ll have more to say on that soon and how you can help if you are interested.

But first, we have a storm system arriving Friday that could pose a potentially significant flooding risk for downtown Charleston Friday night. Low pressure moving across the Gulf Coast states will drive perhaps a few rounds of heavy rain through the metro area starting Friday afternoon and well into the evening. This could coincide with high tide around 7:27pm to produce enough flooding to close roads downtown as well as in vulnerable locations in North Charleston and maybe even Summerville. 2″ or more of rain will be possible in many spots across the Tri-County. Be ready to curtail Friday night plans or find alternate routes in case widespread flooding develops.

Rain will continue into Saturday, though it’ll be more on and off. The heaviest stuff will have pivoted northward, but showers and maybe a thunderstorm should redevelop as a cold front pushes into the area during the afternoon. Severe weather is not expected, thankfully. Saturday’s the warmest day of the weekend with highs in the mid-70s, while post-front, we’ll see a solid 10° drop in high temperatures for Sunday. Clouds will be clearing, though, and we’ll be back in the 70s possibly as early as Monday.

Tuesday’s forecast: Cooler temperatures just in time to start astronomical Spring

/ March 18, 2024 at 9:52 PM

After the past couple weeks of warmth, Tuesday might come as a bit of a shock as lows dip into the upper 30s across a good bit of the metro to start the day as cool high pressure builds in throughout the day. Temperatures will only get into the low 60s, far below normal for mid-March (the normal high for March 19 is 71°). At least the sun will be out, and the March sun angle should make these cooler-than-normal temperatures feel pretty decent.

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The week ahead: Brief cooldown, then seasonable temperatures return

/ March 17, 2024 at 8:31 PM

The week ahead starts off with the aftermath of a cold front, but that won’t be felt long as temperatures head right back toward, if not slightly above, mid-March norms as astronomical spring begins.

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