After peaking in the mid-60s on Thursday, temperatures will continue to warm heading into Friday and the weekend despite persistent cloud cover. We start Friday much warmer than the previous several days, with a low temperature in the mid-40s across much of the area. Temperatures will climb to about 70° despite the mostly cloudy skies, several degrees above normal for February 9.
Saturday will be a warmer version of Friday. Cloud cover will persist, with peeks of sun from time to time, but we start the day about 5-7° warmer than we started Friday with lows in the low 50s. Afternoon high temperatures should reach the mid-70s as southerly flow continues to bring warmer air into the area.
Sunday starts even warmer, with lows barely clearing below 60° in the morning, well above normal for this point in the year. Temperatures will warm back to the mid-70s in the afternoon. We stay rain-free for the first part of Sunday, but we should start to see some shower activity work into the area later in the afternoon into the evening as a storm system affects the area; much of this rain falls Monday, though, before temperatures turn back toward normal for Tuesday.
We have another chilly start ahead on Thursday as lows drop to the low-to-mid-30s across much of the metro one more time as high pressure moves overhead. We’ll see mostly sunny skies for a fair bit of Thursday before high pressure begins to slip further offshore and cloud cover starts to increase later in the day. Temperatures will show signs of a subtle warming trend as we top out in the low to mid-60s Thursday afternoon, a few degrees warmer than we have been the past couple days. Overall, it’ll end up being a fairly climatologically typical February day after the cooler-than-normal start.
We’re just about done with the chillier weather for a few days, but first, Wednesday awaits. Lows on Wednesday should flirt with freezing, and continued breezy northerly winds will help it feel like the mid-20s. You’ll want to dress in layers to start, though you should be able to shed a layer or two later in the day as temperatures approach 60° and winds, mercifully, continue to die down.
There is a risk for some minor coastal flooding with the 5:33am high tide, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see the forecast of 7.3-7.5′ revised downward given the past two mornings have come in lower than expected. (Watch this be the one time the tide does exactly what the evening blog post says it will.) In any event, any flooding issues should be resolved before the bulk of the commute, but if you are an early commuter and downtown is in your plans, keep an eye out for possible flooded or closed roads.
Showers have ended and cloud cover will diminish overnight, yielding a sunny Tuesday — in stark contrast to the dreariness that was Monday. However, high pressure trying to build in from the west will help to keep the gradient pinched as low pressure remains offshore, keeping north to northeast winds elevated throughout the day. Temperatures will start in the upper 30s, but the wind chill will make it feel more like 30°, so dress appropriately in the morning. We’ll warm only to the mid-to-upper 50s despite the sunshine, too.
The other issue for Tuesday will be the risk for some minor to moderate coastal flooding very early Tuesday morning. High tide around 4:32am is forecast to reach between 7.5-7.7′. While we fell just short of coastal flood criteria Monday morning, it certainly seems more likely that we’ll achieve flood stage on Tuesday. So, if you have early travels that take you downtown, be ready to reroute around flooded roads.
The first full week of February gets off to a stormy start as strong low pressure affects the area, particularly in the morning. We’re looking for the potential for some coastal flooding early in the day, and this combined with heavy rainfall could cause flooding problems across downtown Charleston, especially around high tide a little after 3:30am. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect from 2-6am for the salt water flooding threat; if that heavy rain does coincide, additional flood advisories for land-based areas would be needed. Rain does slowly taper off as Monday goes along, but we stay on the chilly side as breezy northeasterly winds blow in. This keeps highs capped to the mid-50s after an upper 40s start.
