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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.

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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Sunday’s forecast: Turning more humid with scattered afternoon and evening storms

/ June 10, 2023 at 8:19 PM

I hope y’all enjoyed the relative dearth of humidity on Saturday — it was a rare June day in the Lowcountry where the heat index was cooler than the air temperature — because humidity will return to the area during the day Sunday as a warm front lifts north of the area. We start the day in the mid-60s before warming into the upper 80s; dewpoints heading back into the upper 60s will make it feel more like the low 90s at the height of the heat of the day. From there, we should start to see scattered showers and thunderstorms develop and move eastward across the area. Instability and shear aren’t super-great, so the risk for any severe storms looks limited — but remember, all thunderstorms are dangerous because of the lightning they produce. Regardless, it doesn’t look to rain all day at any one location — as always, just make sure you have an indoor backup plan for outdoor activities.

Weekend forecast: Warm and quiet Saturday, perhaps a little more unsettled Sunday

/ June 9, 2023 at 9:46 PM

We’ve got a pretty decent weekend of weather ahead, though we may see a few storms Sunday afternoon and evening as a front moves back north through the area. Saturday looks like a great summer day, though — we start the day in the low 60s, which is a few degrees below normal for June 10. Highs then head up to around 90° in the afternoon, and with unseasonably low dewpoints, humidity won’t play quite the role we’re used to it playing in June. I suspect that you may want to get to the beaches a little early to avoid traffic.

Sunday starts a little warmer as temperatures start in the mid-60s, still a tad below normal for June 11. Clouds will be on the increase throughout the day, and we’ll be watching a warm front as it moves back north through the area for the potential to kick off some isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms, generally in the afternoon and evening hours. Highs top out in the mid-to-upper 80s, and with dewpoints about 10° warmer, it’ll be a little more humid, too. Overall, though, still not too shabby.

Looking for the 90s? They’ll be back starting Monday, and look to last for much of next week — but let’s enjoy the weekend first.