The main weather story this week will be heat, especially for the first part of the week as strong high pressure aloft affects much of the Eastern Seaboard.

Summer heat will continue this weekend with limited chances for a few storms to cool things off. Saturday will start in the mid-70s, warming to the low-to-mid-90s in the afternoon. Mix in dewpoints in the low 70s, and it’ll feel more like the mid-to-upper 90s. There will be a bit more moisture available Saturday, which could allow for slightly greater storm coverage as the seabreeze pushes inland during the afternoon. However, most of us shouldn’t count on a storm to cool things off. Any storms that fire will dissipate with the loss of daytime heating.

A stray storm or two will be possible Sunday, but the vast majority of us should stay rain-free as dewpoints once again mix down to the low 70s in the afternoon owing to a lot of dry air aloft. We’ll warm to the low 90s, but the lower dewpoints keep heat indices relatively in check, only running a few degrees above the air temperature. That’s not to say that feeling like the mid-90s is in any way “cool” though!

As we reach the summer solstice late Friday night (10:20 PM, to be exact), the weather will be seasonally appropriate. We can generally expect temperature in the low to mid-90s each afternoon after muggy starts in the mid-70s. Showers and thunderstorms will be possible particularly Friday and Saturday afternoons along and ahead of the seabreeze, though updrafts will struggle against high pressure building in aloft. In fact, we should generally see a lid on things for Sunday, making for a mostly sunny day. Heat indices will still run in the upper 90s to around 100°, so be sure you’re getting plenty of water and rest if you’re working or playing outside.

More heat and humidity are on tap for Thursday, but with a slightly better chance of storms in the afternoon especially as a front gets closer to the area. We’ll start the day in the mid-70s once again, warming back to the mid-90s in the afternoon. We’ll be keeping an eye on a line of thunderstorms to our northwest, which could help induce some stronger storms in the metro later in the afternoon through the evening hours. Damaging wind gusts would be the primary concern in the strongest storms, though the risk for severe weather is generally low (but not zero) across the area.

The rest of the work week will remain quite warm, especially Wednesday and Thursday as less in the way of showers and thunderstorms are expected before a trough of low pressure and accompanying front swing through to stir up more storms for Friday.

High pressure will continue to build in aloft, sending temperatures upward and storm chances downward. Tuesday will be another rather warm day, with lows in the mid-70s to start the day warming to the low 90s in the afternoon. Mix in dewpoints running in the low 70s, and that’ll yield heat indices right around the 100-101° mark during the height of the afternoon. Heat indices could even briefly spike in the immediate wake of the seabreeze as dewpoints surge before temperatures start to fall.

A storm or two will be possible along and ahead of the seabreeze, but with the capped atmosphere, it’s going to be tough to get much, if anything, to break through, much less sustain itself. Still, though, you can never completely rule it out this time of year.

The good news for this week’s weather is that we’ll see a bit more of a lid put on the atmosphere as we get into midweek, which should help to decrease the coverage of — but not eliminate completely — afternoon showers and thunderstorms. The tradeoff, though, is that it’s going to get hotter, with heat indices creeping toward 105° for the first time this year.

I’m running out of ways to say “it’s going to be hot and stormy” but here we are. The pattern remains stagnant with the Charleston area on the western periphery of Atlantic high pressure at the surface and aloft. Mid-level disturbances will continue to ripple into the area from the west, and those disturbances combined with a continued influx of warm and humid air will keep rain chances elevated, especially in the afternoons. Saturday starts in the mid-70s, warming to the upper 80s in the afternoon. Thunderstorms should initiate once again in the late morning and early afternoon hours, particularly along and ahead of the seabreeze. As with previous days, the risk for severe weather is generally low, though a strong to severe storm can’t be ruled out especially where outflow boundaries collide.

We’ll do it again on Father’s Day, with lows in the mid-70s warming to around 90° in the afternoon. Once again, expect scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to develop across the area especially during the afternoon hours. Once again, pockets of heavy rain will be possible, and an isolated severe storm is not out of the question. As always, though, all thunderstorms are dangerous due to the lightning they produce. Remember the rule: if you can see lightning or hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck and should head inside.

Active weather continues to be in the cards as we head into Friday and the weekend as we continue to sit on the western periphery of high pressure, allowing bits of energy aloft to ripple through at times to instigate more showers and thunderstorms. We’ll also have periods to dry out, too, with the sun getting through and helping temperatures build into the 90s by Sunday.

After a quiet start to the day, another round of afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop and move across parts of the Tri-County on Thursday as we remain in an unsettled pattern. Alas, we will keep this going into the weekend, too.