After the fourth-warmest July on record at North Charleston, we catch a bit of a break from the high heat as we get over the hump into the rest of the work week as highs only look to get into the mid-to-upper 80s through Friday. The drier air will be quite noticeable especially Wednesday and Thursday mornings as lows look to dip into the low 70s. The drier air will also act to keep shower and thunderstorm chances to a minimum Wednesday and Thursday, with maybe a popup or two on the inland-moving seabreeze in the afternoons.
Rain chances head back up on Friday as high pressure weakens and moisture surges back into the area. We’ll likely see off and on showers and storms break out with just a little sunshine, continuing throughout the day. Some very heavy rain will be possible at times, and we’ll need to watch for the risk for flooding in a few spots with fairly slow storm motions expected.
Finally, onshore flow with the recent full moon will continue to drive tides into flood stage over the next couple nights. The water level peaked at 7.93′ at 8:48 PM on Tuesday evening, and water levels between 7.6-7.8′ look probable for Wednesday evening. Expect road closures downtown as a result. Keep an ear out for Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.
The water level in Charleston Harbor peaked at 7.93’ at 8:48 PM and is now headed down. Several roads are closed downtown, including much of Hagood, parts of Lockwood, and even some blocked lanes on Calhoun.
Moderate flooding is underway in Charleston Harbor, which is likely causing numerous roads to close in downtown Charleston. High tide has a while to go before peak, too — it is expected to top out around 8:43 PM.
We start August with a relatively “cool” day, at least in contrast to that second half of July we just had, anyway. We start the day in the low 70s before temperatures head to the upper 80s in the afternoon. A little drier air will be mixing in, but it’ll still be humid enough to get heat indices into the mid-90s. Still, though, this is what passes for improvement at this time of year.
A few thunderstorms will be possible in the afternoon, though we shouldn’t see the high coverage that we’ve seen the past two nights. The risk for severe weather is a little lower, too.
The main fly in the ointment on Tuesday evening will be tidal flooding; high tide around 8:43 PM should top out around 7.3-7.5′ in the harbor, producing minor to moderate coastal flooding and likely causing some road closures, which were observed with Monday evening’s 7.52′ high tide. Be ready to route around flooding if you have plans downtown Tuesday evening.
