Charleston Weather Blog

Forecast explanations, atmospheric science, and other cool weather-related stuff for Charleston, SC

Friday and the weekend: Hot again; storms hang around

/ at 11:28 PM

While Debby shuffles off to the northeast, our weather will remain unsettled as a trough persists aloft across the eastern half of the country. This will drive a surface front just close enough to stall out and keep elevated shower and thunderstorm chances in play each afternoon.

We returned to the 90s on Thursday and will head back there each afternoon for the foreseeable future. Lingering tropical moisture in the wake of Debby will help drive heat indices well into the 100s, perhaps flirting with advisory criteria despite low 90s air temperatures. Then, we should see showers and thunderstorms fire up each afternoon generally along and ahead of the seabreeze. Storm motions will generally be eastward, so some rain could spread to the coast.

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Debby is departing, but flooding remains a problem

/ at 8:33 AM
Debby is departing, but existing river and stream flooding continues, and additional showers will fire later this afternoon, potentially with more bursts of heavy rain
Rain: Flood Watch in effect until Friday morning. Another 1-2” of rain is possible through Sunday morning, which may hinder recovery from flooding.
Flooding: Areal Flood Warning for the entire Tri-County area. River and stream flooding to continue. French Quarter Creek at Huger is back in major flood stage, which impacts nearby properties. The Ashley River is rising and could impact the Ashborough neighborhood in Dorchester County soon. The Edisto River near Givhans Ferry is in minor flood, forecast to reach major flood by Monday, while the Santee River at Jamestown is in moderate flood and should crest at 16.1’ on Sunday.
Wind: The Tropical Storm Warning has ended. It’ll still be breezy, but the risk for tropical storm conditions has ended as Debby lifts away from the area.

All Tropical Storm Warnings were dropped this morning as Debby, which made landfall around Bulls Bay at 2am, continues to lift north away from the area. The risk for flooding continues, especially near rivers, creeks, and streams. An Areal Flood Warning remains in effect across the entire Tri-County area through at least 2:45pm. Additional rain should develop courtesy of some wraparound moisture from Debby as we get into the heat of the day, which could inhibit recovery from flooding, so the warning continues. The Flood Watch continues until Friday morning as well.

Temperatures today will run in the upper 80s, closer to normal after a record cool high temperature of 80° on Wednesday. We’ve seen some peeks of sun and blue sky this morning and should hopefully see a bit more of that just for our spirits’ sake. The sun will make a more complete comeback for Friday and the weekend.

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