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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: Cold front arrives with increasing clouds and maybe a shower

/ October 30, 2023 at 10:19 PM

Changes are on the way on Halloween as a strong cold front moves across the area later in the day, bringing an uptick in cloud cover, maybe a shower or two, and a surge of the coldest air so far this season to start November. We start Tuesday in the upper 50s to around 60° with just a few clouds to start. From there, expect cloud cover to gradually thicken as the front gets closer. We should see it get through sometime mid-afternoon into the early evening; you’ll notice it when winds shift around more to the north.

Trick-or-treaters will want a light jacket as temperatures cool into the 50s throughout the evening. As mentioned, a shower or two will be possible, but the risk is quite low.

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The week ahead: Big shot of cool air for mid-week; very little, if any, rain in sight

/ October 29, 2023 at 9:23 PM

The week ahead will feature the strongest cold snap of the season thus far sandwiched between a warm start and a warm finish. It’s a classic “shorts then sweaters” week of fall weather in the Lowcountry as a strong front moves by late on Halloween.

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Weekend forecast: Unseasonably warm, with record warmth possible Sunday

/ October 27, 2023 at 7:43 PM

This will be an unseasonably warm final weekend of October across the Lowcountry as temperatures will bear more resemblance to mid-May. Expect highs in the mid-80s each afternoon with lows around 60° to start each day. Sunday’s forecast high of 85° would, if it came to pass, tie the record high for October 29 set in 1946. We’ll do this courtesy of stacked high pressure remaining in control for a few more days; dry air aloft will keep cloud cover at a minimum, and it’ll be a good weekend for sunshine overall.

No good weather deed goes unpunished, though: There will be a high risk of rip currents at the beaches in case you are wanting to wade into the water, and morning high tides will be high enough to cause some minor salt water flooding as well. Keep an ear out for Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.

A strong front coming by around Halloween will flip the script on temperatures. We’ll go from 83° on Monday to 77° on Tuesday before highs only top out around 60° on Wednesday and Thursday. It’s probably safe at this point to go ahead with a Sweater Weather Watch for next week!

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Friday & the weekend: Warm with plenty of sun

/ October 26, 2023 at 7:40 PM

Warm weather continues for Friday and the weekend, feeling a lot more like September than late October. Temperatures will continue to run in the low 80s each afternoon after starts in the low 60s each day. Unsurprisingly, these temperatures run well above climatology. At this point in October, a normal day starts in the low 50s, and we will run well above that through the end of the month, it looks like. Our high temperatures will come in about 8-9° or so above normal each day; we should be in the mid-70s. While the record highs for Friday and Saturday seem out of reach (87° and 86°, respectively), Sunday’s forecast high of 83° comes within a couple degrees of the daily record high of 85° set in 1946.

Fall fans, do not fret, though: A strong cold front appears timed for Halloween. This front will knock temperatures back to near normal for Tuesday, followed by below-normal high temperatures as we start November (think mid-60s vs. mid-70s).

Thursday: Still warm and partly cloudy

/ October 25, 2023 at 9:56 PM

Rinse and repeat: More quiet and warm weather is on tap for Thursday (and beyond!) High pressure remains in control, and that’ll keep things rain-free and rather warm for late October. We start the day in the low 60s (for reference, the normal low for October 26 is 54°) and warm to around 80° in the afternoon. Much like Wednesday, we’ll see a few clouds amongst otherwise blue skies.

The only fly in the ointment will be the potential for some minor coastal flooding with the Thursday evening high tide. Water levels should peak between 7-7.2′ in the harbor, and this’ll cause some salt water to spill onto the typical trouble spots roughly an hour or two on either side of the 6:49 PM high tide. We’ll probably land a Coastal Flood Advisory during Thursday evening’s commute, so be ready to route around a little salt water especially around the Citadel and MUSC.

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Rest of the work week: Seasonably warm

/ October 24, 2023 at 9:16 PM

The rest of the work week will be seasonably warm as high pressure remains in firm control of our weather. We’ll start Wednesday noticeably warmer than Tuesday with lows in the upper 50s as opposed to the upper 40s. From there, temperatures will warm to near 80° under partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies. We start Thursday even warmer, with low 60s forecast — several degrees above normal for this point in the year. Temperatures top out around 80° with a mix of sun and clouds. As for Friday, copy and paste — pretty much the same story as Thursday. We keep warmth heading into the weekend and to start next week, though we should see a cooldown in time for Halloween.

High tides on Wednesday will get close to coastal flood criteria and could yet require a Coastal Flood Advisory or two if the departures tick up just a little more. We’ll flirt with minor coastal flood criteria at times of high tide into the weekend, so keep an ear out for possible Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.

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Tuesday: Chilly start, but a warming trend begins

/ October 23, 2023 at 9:51 PM

We get off to a fairly chilly start on Tuesday as lows bottom out in the upper 40s thanks to clear skies and light winds. This will be the low-water mark (so to speak) for temperatures, though, as we head into the rest of the week. Highs on Tuesday top out in the mid-70s once again, perhaps a degree or two warmer than we saw on Monday. All in all, another nice October day.

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The week ahead: High pressure in control; warm and sunny days to ensue

/ October 22, 2023 at 4:39 PM

The story of this week’s weather will be high pressure keeping a firm grasp on the area for the rest of the week (and maybe even the rest of October). This will lead to generally quiet weather, with a warming trend bringing us into the low 80s starting around midweek. Monday will be the coolest of the set in the wake of a dry cold frontal passage; we start the day around 50° and warm into the low 70s in the afternoon with just a few clouds. Tuesday starts a touch cooler, but the warming trend will begin with temperatures reaching a little warmer in the afternoon. A decent stretch of above-normal warmth takes hold from there, with variable cloud cover but little else to write home about as moisture is generally scant. All in all, it’s not a bad week to get the car washed (note to self) and enjoy some outdoor lunches.

The only concern may end up being coastal flooding at times of high tide possibly starting as early as Tuesday. Winds will be out of the northeast as high pressure settles in to our northwest, and this combined with the upcoming full moon will once again start to send water levels above coastal flood criteria as we head into the latter half of the week. Keep an ear out for Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.

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Weekend forecast: Pretty fantastic

/ October 20, 2023 at 9:13 PM

After an occasionally stormy Friday, we have a great looking weekend of weather ahead. Skies clear out overnight Friday in the wake of the front, and by Saturday morning, we’re waking up to brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the low 50s. It’ll be a predominantly sunny day with temperatures topping out in the low-to-mid-70s.

Sunday turns a little warmer, but it’ll remain rather comfortable. Lows in the upper 50s give way to highs in the mid-to-upper 70s in the afternoon with a few clouds at times and a gentle northwesterly breeze. A reinforcing front makes a dry passage late Sunday evening, and this will cool temperatures back down for Monday. Peeking ahead into the forecastable future, there’s very little sign of much in the way of rain as we get into the home stretch of October. This isn’t too abnormal as October is climatologically a fairly dry month here in the Lowcountry, but we are almost an inch off pace still for the month.

Friday & the weekend: Stormy close to the work week, then beauty

/ October 19, 2023 at 10:33 PM

Showers and a few thunderstorms re-enter the weather picture for Friday as a cold front moves by, but it’ll be worth it as we have a gorgeous weekend ahead.

We start Friday in the mid-50s with dewpoints steadily rising throughout the day. Showers and thunderstorms will approach the area from the west as the day goes on, with storms possible perhaps as early as 1-2 PM, but most likely in the late afternoon to early evening hours. A storm or two could even be on the strong side, with damaging wind gusts the main concern. Rainfall between a quarter and half-inch is generally expected, with some spots under- and over-performing as is common with these kinds of convective setups. Due to the ongoing dry conditions, though, flooding is not expected to be an issue.

From there, the weekend looks great. Skies clear nicely for Saturday, and northwesterly flow will yield a rather beautiful day with lows in the mid-50s yielding to highs in the mid-70s in the afternoon with nary a cloud to be found. Sunday will be another really nice day with temperatures generally similar to Saturday’s, though we’ll see a bit more in the way of scattered clouds ahead of a dry frontal passage late. All in all, it looks to be a fantastic weekend to get out and do stuff.

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