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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.

Friday & the weekend: Chilly, with frost and freeze possible at times

/ November 17, 2022 at 5:40 PM
National Weather Service forecast for Friday and the weekend (November 18-20, 2022).

Friday: Mostly sunny. Low 34, high 57. Frost advisory Charleston and tidal Berkeley, Freeze Warning inland Berkeley and Dorchester.

Saturday: Mix of clouds and sun. Low 35, high 59.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Low 44, high 54.

We’ve got another chilly weekend ahead, and this time some frosty conditions are expected. Skies will clear tonight, and with light to calm winds expected, solid radiational cooling conditions are probable, allowing temperatures to fall into the mid-30s across much of the metro. This could prompt frost issues in Charleston proper, while places such as Dorchester and inland Berkeley may see a freeze. Thus, a Freeze Warning is up for early Friday morning for inland Berkeley and Dorchester, and a Frost Advisory is in effect for Charleston and tidal Berkeley (Daniel Island, Cainhoy). Be ready to protect plants and pets!

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Clouds and chill hang around Thursday

/ November 16, 2022 at 5:42 PM

We’ve got more clouds and chilly weather in store for Thursday after a rather chilly and somewhat dreary day across the Lowcountry. The high temperatures of 68° at the airport and 70° downtown on Wednesday were set right around midnight as cooler air filtered into the area throughout the day. We should see another near-normal morning Thursday (lows mid-40s) before temperatures once again struggle into the mid-50s in the afternoon, well below the usually nice normal November temperature around 69°. There’s a decent chance we should see a little sun before the day is out, but overall, expect more in the way of gray. Silver lining: No precipitation is expected.

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Tuesday: Warmest day of the week with a few showers

/ November 14, 2022 at 9:56 PM

Here comes the warmest day of this week! A coastal trough will move inland during the day Tuesday, which will allow some warmer air to infiltrate the area from the Atlantic. It remains to be seen just how far inland this warmer air can penetrate; we could see some spots near I-95 run much cooler, possibly not getting out of the 50s.

Expect a scattering of showers in association with the aforementioned trough, but it won’t rain all day at any one location. A couple of the models want to bring some instability inland, but the thinking is that any thunder stays over the water. Aside from slick roads from the rain, not expecting much in the way of any hazards from tomorrow’s weather.

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The week ahead: Well-below normal temperatures expected, especially late week

/ November 13, 2022 at 10:21 PM

Well, the 80s are over (for at least a while, anyway). A cold front that came through Sunday morning ensured that our high of 68° would be set…at 1am. It was a somewhat chilly afternoon, and we have more of the same in store for the week ahead as well-below normal temperatures become the rule heading into the weekend before Thanksgiving.

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Weekend forecast: Mother Nature turns on the AC

/ November 11, 2022 at 7:55 PM

It’s a tale of two air masses this weekend: The warm, still somewhat humid Saturday giving way to the winter-like, much cooler and drier day on Sunday. Nicole’s legacy will hang around one more day in the form of the somewhat modified tropical airmass; while dewpoints will be lower than they have been the past couple days, mid-60s dews are still pretty moist for this time of the year. We’ll see a mix of sun and clouds ahead of a cold front — oh, the cold front — that will pass by rain-free on Saturday night.

Sunday’s going to be a completely different animal as cold Canadian air rushes into the area. Lows will bottom out in the mid-50s on Sunday, but despite nearly full sunshine, the cold air advecting in will keep highs only in the low 60s. Sunday night into Monday will be a much different story, with lows potentially dipping into the upper 30s in spots — will need to keep an eye out on frost potential for Monday morning.

Next rain chance arrives with a reinforcing shot of cold air on Tuesday into Wednesday; we’ll close next week unable to get temperatures above 60°, it looks like. Bottom line: Sweater weather fans, time to shine!

Tonight into Friday: Tornado threat, heavy rain at times, windy

/ November 10, 2022 at 7:45 PM

We have a potentially very busy 18-24 hours of weather ahead as Tropical Storm Nicole makes the turn to the north and the northeast overnight into Friday, keeping us on the “dirty” side of the storm. The main concern is overwhelmingly the threat for tornadoes overnight. A Tornado Watch is in effect until 1am, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it extend even beyond that. Secondary to this will be the continued risk for heavy and potentially flooding rain at times, with gusty winds also a concern.

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Strongest effects from Nicole to arrive tomorrow into Friday: what to expect

/ November 9, 2022 at 5:33 PM

Nicole’s roughest weather arrives tomorrow and will last through Friday afternoon before improvement sets in just in time for the weekend. Heavy rain, gusty winds, tidal flooding, and a few tornadoes are all on the table with this event. Here’s what to expect.

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Tropical Storm, Storm Surge Watches hoisted in advance of Nicole; what to expect

/ November 8, 2022 at 10:09 PM

We have a busy few days of weather ahead of us as Tropical Storm Nicole makes landfall on Florida, perhaps as a hurricane, and then turns north and northeast to strafe the Carolinas with heavy rain, wind, and maybe even some severe weather.

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Breezy Election Day ahead of Nicole later this week

/ November 7, 2022 at 8:29 PM

Election Day will feature rain-free conditions, plenty of sunshine, and much cooler temperatures as high pressure to the north wedges into the area. This will definitely feel a lot different than the mugginess we’ve had for the past week-plus. You’ll want to keep a jacket around, too, as winds become gusty as the pressure gradient between the high building in from the north and Subtropical Storm Nicole to the south intensifies. Watch for gusts upwards of 25 MPH away from the coast, with gusts 30-35 MPH possible at the beaches.

The last total lunar eclipse of 2023 — and last one visible from the US until 2025 — will peak tomorrow morning just before 6am. The moon will be getting lower on the horizon in the western sky, but cloud cover should be sparse for eclipse viewing.

The full moon will also be a contributor to elevated water levels in Charleston Harbor with the 7:31 AM high tide, which is expected to peak around 7.6′, producing minor to moderate coastal flooding. This may have some impacts on the morning commute for folks traveling around downtown Charleston. Be ready to use alternate routes in case you encounter flooded or closed roads.

Mariners should take note that a Tropical Storm Warning has been hoisted for the coastal waters (not the harbor, yet) with very rough marine conditions expected to develop due to the aforementioned pressure gradient. There are no land-based tropical headlines as of this writing.

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The week ahead: Turning unsettled with possible tropical development near the Bahamas

/ November 6, 2022 at 5:26 PM

An unsettled week lies ahead, particularly for those of us near the coast, as a possible tropical or hybrid cyclone develops and moves toward Florida around mid-week before recurving with a cold front later in the week. After that front gets through, below-normal temperatures will arrive by Sunday.

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