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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.

Thursday: Clouds on the increase, a little warmer

/ October 18, 2023 at 8:40 PM

Expect clouds to be on the increase on Thursday as a coastal trough develops nearby, spreading some cloud cover onshore. Somewhat more southerly trajectories will allow temperatures to run a little warmer (but still below normal). Expect to start the day in the low-to-mid-50s before temperatures head to the mid-70s in the afternoon. Despite increasing clouds, expect one more rain-free day ahead of a cold front arriving Friday.

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Rest of the work week: Chilly start Wednesday, but trending warmer

/ October 17, 2023 at 6:45 PM

Sun continues for a couple more days before unsettled weather arrives later Friday with a cold front. Wednesday could be the chilliest start since April 18 if the NWS forecast verifies, with low to mid-40s common away from the locally warmer coastline. Temperatures will warm into the low 70s under mostly sunny skies, a couple clicks warmer than was observed on Tuesday.

Thursday runs even a little warmer as winds go a little more east to southeast, allowing some more moisture to work into the area. Expect to start Thursday in the low 50s before warming to the mid-70s under generally partly cloudy skies.

Our next rain chance arrives Friday afternoon into the evening ahead of a cold front. This will be the warmest overall day of the set as lows generally start in the mid-to-upper 50s before reaching highs in the mid-70s in the afternoon before showers begin. Right now, it doesn’t look like we’ll get much in the way of rain; generally around a quarter-inch at most. Of course, that doesn’t preclude a few spots from seeing some slightly heavier or lighter amounts.

Once the front is through, we have an excellent, seasonable weekend of weather on tap with lows in the low 50s and highs in the low 70s each afternoon with plenty of sunshine.

Tuesday’s forecast: Another seasonably cool day

/ October 16, 2023 at 9:28 PM

Tuesday will be another seasonably cool day under mostly sunny skies as high pressure remains in control at the surface with troughing aloft. After an upper-level disturbance passes by overnight Monday, skies will clear, allowing temperatures to fall into the upper 40s away from the coast for Tuesday morning. Temperatures then rise into the upper 60s, with the potential for a couple spots to hit 70°. Overall, a very seasonable October day across the Lowcountry.

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The week ahead: A light taste of sweater weather

/ October 15, 2023 at 9:56 PM

Overall, we’ve got a pretty nice week ahead with temperatures running generally below normal and only one passing rain chance on Friday.

A trough moving by overnight Sunday into Monday could bring a few showers early Monday morning, but those will be done by daybreak, and we should see a partly cloudy day with highs topping out only in the mid-to-upper 60s, some 10° below normal for this point in the year. (Might be a little taste of sweater weather?) We start Tuesday in the upper 40s with highs once again peaking shy of 70° with more sunshine expected. We have a similarly cool start Wednesday but with unfettered sunshine, expect highs to top out in the low 70s. Thursday runs a little warmer with lows starting in the low 50s and highs in the mid-70s with a little bit more in the way of cloud cover (but still plenty of sun, too).

Our only real rain chance this week arrives ahead of a cold front on Friday. Generally, expect a scattering of showers in the afternoon and evening ahead of the front, but nothing too outrageous. Highs will run in the mid-70s. Behind the front, a modest cooldown will ensue, but it should be a really nice weekend with lows in the 50s and highs in the low 70s each afternoon.

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Weekend forecast: Improving Saturday, cooler Sunday

/ October 13, 2023 at 9:14 PM

Low pressure will move northward across the area overnight Friday into Saturday morning, keeping shower chances (and maybe a rumble of thunder) in the forecast through roughly mid-morning. It’ll be a mild start, with lows bottoming out in the upper 60s to around 70°. Highs will warm into the low 80s, and it’ll generally be a muggy low 80s as dewpoints remain elevated in the upper 60s. Cloud cover will steadily decrease as the day goes on as low pressure continues to move further away.

A reinforcing cold front arrives overnight Saturday into early Sunday morning, and this will bring a much more noticeable change to the airmass. Dewpoints will drop into the 50s, and highs will only top out in the mid-70s in the afternoon. Cloud cover will increase as we get into the evening as a trough approaches the area, but we should still get plenty of sunshine in.

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Friday & the weekend: A couple more unsettled days before another dry stretch

/ October 12, 2023 at 10:04 PM

We stay unsettled — but turning warmer — on Friday as winds turn a little more onshore thanks to low pressure developing over northern Florida and southern Georgia. This will also help to keep showers in the area for a good bit of the day, so be ready with the rain gear just in case. Some breaks in the clouds may bring some sunshine, but cloudiness should remain the main feature. Expect highs to top out in the mid-70s.

Showers will continue heading into Saturday as low pressure moves northward across the Lowcountry throughout the day. The low should clear the area by afternoon, and from there, we should start to see some slightly drier air work into the area. There should be at least some peeks of sun Saturday afternoon, so the day’s not a total loss, and we’ll get to the low 80s — as warm as we’ll be for the foreseeable future, it’s worth noting.

A stronger cold front comes through overnight and brings a much better shot of cooler and drier air to the area for Sunday. That’ll help to clear some of the cloud cover out a bit and help highs top out only in the mid-70s in the afternoon. Cooler and drier air will continue to work in overnight Sunday, and we’ll have a stretch of cooler-than-normal temperatures for much of next week.

Thursday: Rainy, chilly day ahead

/ October 11, 2023 at 9:30 PM

Showers overspreading the area Wednesday evening will continue for much of Thursday as low pressure moves offshore, allowing high pressure to wedge in behind it from the northeast. While rain chances taper heading into the evening, cloud cover should remain robust and temperatures on the cool side thanks to the wedge. We shouldn’t get out of the upper 60s, in fact. All in all, Thursday looks to be a good jacket or hoodie kind of day.

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Rest of the work week: An unsettled period begins

/ October 10, 2023 at 10:27 PM

Increasing moisture will proliferate across the area during the day Wednesday as high pressure continues to give way to a disturbance that’ll move across the Gulf. Much of the day should be dry as it takes some time for the remaining dry air to scour out, but once that does, expect showers to begin at some point Wednesday evening, peaking overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. Thursday’s going to be kind of a chilly and raw day as high pressure wedges in from the north, socking us in with cloud cover and occasional showers. Expect highs to top out in the low 70s at best. A warm front lifts north of the area later on Friday, and that’ll send temperatures back up a bit. We could see some rumbles of thunder alongside more scattered showers, so keep the rain gear handy.

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Tuesday: Back to warm before an unsettled period

/ October 9, 2023 at 11:48 PM

Clouds and temperatures will be on the increase for Tuesday as moisture begins to move back into the area. We start Tuesday in the low 50s before temperatures warm reasonably quickly into the low 80s by early afternoon. We should get plenty of sun for much of the day, though cloud cover will be thickening by evening.

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The week ahead: Chilly start, then turning unsettled

/ October 8, 2023 at 10:43 PM

After a day that featured lows in the low 50s and highs topping out just in the low 70s, clear skies and calm winds will allow temperatures across much of the metro area (inland of the coast, anyway) to fall into the 40s for the first time since early May on Monday morning. Sunny skies will prevail throughout the day, and temperatures should reach the mid-70s in the afternoon as a result. Overall, it will be another really nice day across the Lowcountry.

The chill will gradually recede as high pressure shifts offshore during the day Monday. Tuesday will run warmer and a little cloudier, with highs topping out in the low 80s in the afternoon after a mid-50s start. A little more cloud cover works into the area by Wednesday as a jet streak strengthens overhead, which should lead to a few showers later in the day (though there’s a lot of dry air to overcome initially). Shower chances improve into Thursday as low pressure moves eastward out of the Gulf of Mexico. We should see an uptick in cloud cover and a little cooler day as well as high pressure wedges in from the northeast. We’ll stay wedged in for a good bit of Friday, though a warm front should lift northward later in the day. Shower chances will continue and perhaps tick up a bit as the aforementioned warm front gets nearby. A little thunder will be possible, too.

Conditions should gradually improve over the weekend as a cold front gets through late on Saturday, and by Sunday, temperatures head back below normal into the mid-70s under mostly sunny skies. (Frontal timing, of course, will be fine-tuned as the week goes on.)

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