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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.

Rest of the work week: Unsettled weather continues

/ June 20, 2023 at 7:03 PM

The forecast for the rest of the work week will remain on the wet side especially Wednesday and Thursday before the upper low finally starts to dislodge from the blocking pattern on Friday. Until that happens, though, showers and thunderstorms will be possible at pretty much any point in the day, though the afternoons and evenings will be the favored time for storms given daytime heating. We’ll start each day in the low 70s before warming into the mid-80s before thunderstorms put a damper on temperatures. Friday does look a little less soggy with a little more in the way of scattered vs. numerous storms, and that pattern should continue to improve heading into the weekend. Stay tuned for updates as things continue to evolve.

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Tuesday: More thunderstorms to come

/ June 19, 2023 at 9:42 PM

Showers and thunderstorms remain in the forecast for Tuesday and beyond as a Rex block (high pressure to the north, low pressure to the south) sets up across the area, feeding in plenty of moisture and sufficient forcing to keep things quite unsettled. Expect the day to start out in the upper 60s to around 70° before warming to about the mid-80s before storms get going. There’s the potential we could even be dealing with some showers and storms advancing through the area in the morning if some of the high-resolution guidance is correct, too, but the best chance for showers and thunderstorms will arrive in the afternoon. Bottom line: Keep the rain gear handy throughout the day, and be patient getting to where you’re going.

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The week ahead: Quite unsettled

/ June 18, 2023 at 10:35 PM

We have an unsettled week of weather ahead as an upper low cuts off across the Southeast, blocked in by high pressure to the north — much as we saw at the start of the month, in fact, though we’ll do without the highs in the 60s this go-around.

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Sunday’s forecast: A few afternoon storms possible

/ June 17, 2023 at 8:07 PM

We have another warm day in store for Sunday, though with a better shot at an afternoon or evening thunderstorm. We start the day in the low 70s before warming into the upper 80s with a little more humidity than we saw on Saturday. (Hopefully a little less smoke, too.) Temperatures could feel a little warmer, generally around 90° or so, when factoring in the humidity.

With a little more available moisture, so it goes with instability. We could see the seabreeze get a little more active than it did on Saturday across the area, with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon and evening hours. Not everyone sees storms, so don’t cancel plans — just be ready to move indoors if a thunderstorm approaches.

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Weekend forecast: Mostly dry, maybe an afternoon storm

/ June 16, 2023 at 10:31 PM

This weekend is looking mostly quiet (weather-wise, anyway). Expect standard mid-June fare across the Lowcountry with highs topping out around 90° each afternoon. Saturday will feel a little drier than we’d normally feel at this point in the year, in fact, with dewpoints mixing out to around 60° in the afternoon. We may see an isolated storm later in the evening, but the vast majority of us stay dry.

It stays mostly that way for Sunday, though we’ll feel a little more in the way of humidity with winds turning more onshore. Once again, a stray afternoon storm is possible, but overall we look to get much of the day in rain-free. Expect highs to once again top out around 90°, with heat indices in the low 90s.

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Friday & the weekend: Showers depart, then mostly quiet and warm

/ June 15, 2023 at 11:05 PM

A stretch of quieter weather begins Friday and lasts through the weekend, in what is a bit of a role reversal for 2023. A few showers could be around the area Friday morning, but those will get out of here by mid-morning and we should stay largely quiet for the rest of the day. Highs head to around 90° in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies.

Saturday and Sunday will both be pretty solid mid-June days: we’ll start each day in the low 70s and top out in the low 90s each afternoon under partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies. A stray shower or storm may be possible well inland — one can never totally rule that out especially with a trough still hanging around — but otherwise, it’s looking good, and I hope you can take advantage.

Thursday: Scattered storm chances continue, then abatement heading into the weekend

/ June 14, 2023 at 11:00 PM

Another round of scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms is expected Thursday, particularly in the afternoon and evening as daytime heating and some upper-air help kicks in, though a shower or storm will be possible for much of the day. Before storms fire, expect to start the day in the upper 60s, warming to the mid-80s under a mix of sun and clouds. Dewpoints around 70° will yield heat indices around 90°.

The risk for severe weather is looking a little lower than it did on Wednesday, with the best risk displaced to the south, but a storm with a damaging wind gust or two and some hail can’t totally be ruled out.

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Rest of the work week: Storms likely Wednesday, then quieting down a little (and warming up)

/ June 13, 2023 at 10:48 PM

After a brief reprieve Tuesday, storms look to return to the forecast on Wednesday as more upper-level energy moves across the area. We start the day in the low 70s before highs top out in the upper 80s in the afternoon under a mix of sun and clouds before showers and storms become more likely heading into the evening hours.

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Tuesday’s forecast: Scattered afternoon storms, a couple of which could be on the strong side

/ June 12, 2023 at 9:52 PM

More showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast for Tuesday afternoon and evening as a stalled front hangs around the area. First, though, we’ll start the day in fine June fashion with lows around 70° in the morning. Temperatures should head to about 90° in the afternoon before thunderstorms fire. Dewpoints in the mid-60s should yield heat indices around 92° — nothing totally out of hand for this point in the year, but certainly steamy.

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The week ahead: Warm and unsettled

/ June 11, 2023 at 10:12 PM

Warm and unsettled weather will be the rule for much of the week ahead as a trough of low pressure aloft hangs around for much of the week, driving a front close to the area before it stalls out and meanders before washing out over the weekend.

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