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.
Hot weather continues for much of the upcoming week, but as the ridge of high pressure that’s baking us slides westward, that will allow for some moisture to work its way back in, inviting showers and thunderstorms to develop each afternoon on the seabreeze.
Sunday’s going to be a very hot day across the area, with extreme heat expected across the Charleston metro especially as we get into the afternoon. The overnight and morning really won’t offer much relief, with air temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s for lows expected. This could keep heat indices over 90° especially closer to the coast, including downtown, for much of the night. Once the sun comes up, we’ll warm up very quickly; heat indices should be over 100° by 10-11am. Air temperatures should peak near 100° in the afternoon, and if we reach the triple digits at the airport, it’ll at least tie a record high (100°, set in 2005) as well as the first time since May 27, 2019 that the high temperature reached the century mark in Charleston. Mix in humidity and it will feel like 115° and perhaps even hotter, especially in the wake of the seabreeze as dewpoints surge behind it. The strong ridge of high pressure will put the kibosh on any thunderstorm activity, so don’t look for any relief from Mother Nature on Sunday.
Heat indices over 110° are dangerous to everyone. Make sure you’re getting any exercise in during the early hours, get plenty of fluids if you must be outdoors, and take frequent breaks.
This is one of those weekends where you probably want to just stay in a nice, cool place as a heat wave begins to ramp up across the Lowcountry, with the potential for several record highs and record warm low temperatures to occur starting Saturday through much of next week.
Anomalously strong high pressure builds in aloft starting Friday, bringing about the hottest weather of the year. We’ll challenge record high temperatures as well as record warm low temperatures, with heat advisories and even Extreme Heat Warnings a likelihood.
The stationary front that’s been lingering nearby will begin to fall apart on Thursday as high pressure begins to build in, bringing storm chances down and temperatures up especially as we head into the weekend, which looks particularly hot.
The stalled front that brought us some flooding rains and severe weather on Tuesday lingers over the next couple days before high pressure nudges in, sending rain chances down and temperatures up for Friday.
This weekend’s hot weather continues into Monday, but a more unsettled pattern will cool temperatures down back to normal (still not chilly, but not overwhelmingly hot, either) as rain chances tick back up.
We’ve got a rather hot weekend ahead as high pressure builds in overhead and at the surface. We can expect temperatures each day to head into the upper 90s each afternoon, with heat indices surging to around 110° in spots especially in the immediate wake of the seabreeze.
The story for Friday and the weekend will be the potential for dangerous heat as high pressure ridges in overhead and at the surface while dewpoints continue to run in the low-to-mid-70s, helping to keep overnight lows elevated to near record-warm levels and storm chances suppressed, worsening the risk for heat stress as a result.