We’ll have a risk of some strong to severe thunderstorms later this afternoon into this evening as a sharp cold front swings through the area. We’ve had plenty of sunshine thus far, and that is certainly helping the atmosphere destabilize ahead of said front. Damaging wind gusts are the primary concern, but a tornado cannot be ruled out somewhere on the leading edge of the line as well. The greatest risk of severe weather generally lies along and west of 17-A as daytime heating and marine influences stabilize things closer to the coast, but severe storms will be possible pretty much anywhere in the Tri-County this evening; NWS is thinking between 6PM and midnight for our neck of the woods.

Stay close to reliable weather sources this afternoon and be ready to take action in case warnings are issued.

A cold front will approach the area from the west throughout the day Wednesday, with shower and thunderstorm chances increasing later in the day as the front gets closer. A couple showers or storms can’t be ruled out in the afternoon well ahead of it, but the best rain chances will start early in the evening through the overnight. One or two storms could turn strong with gusty winds and hail, especially for those of you who are further inland. However, widespread severe weather is not expected.

We’ll be at the apex of this week’s temperature rollercoaster with highs topping out around 80° in the afternoon. Afterward, it’s a much different story…

We’ll put scattered showers into the weather mix for tomorrow as a trough of low pressure sets up offshore, perhaps allowing a little rain to head up into our neck of the woods primarily in the morning to midday timeframe (with slight chances in the afternoon). Temperatures will warm into the lower 70s in the afternoon.

Tuesday night, a warm front will lift north of the area, which will prevent temperatures from falling much below the low 60s as we get into Wednesday morning. Highs will top out in the low 80s on Wednesday afternoon, with the risk of a few thunderstorms coming along for the ride as we are well into the warm sector of our next storm system. A couple strong to severe storms are not out of the question, either, so we’ll want to watch that potential. After the front gets through, the bottom falls out of the mercury, but at least the sun stays out into the weekend!

Spring, being a transitional season, will often give you its share of weather whiplash. This is going to be one of those weeks where your jacket and shorts should stay within equal reach.

We start the week with high pressure asserting control over our weather, albeit briefly. It’ll be much cooler — we’ll start Monday in the low 50s. Late-March sunshine will be enough to push temperatures into the upper 60s, but that is still a little cooler than normal for this time of year. Temperatures moderate a bit on Tuesday as high pressure slips offshore, but we’ll also see shower chances return to the picture as well.

Our best thunderstorm chances this week come Wednesday into early Thursday as a warm front lifts north across the area followed by a strong cold front. We could warm to around 80° on Wednesday post-warm frontal passage before the mercury comes crashing back down to earth for Thursday, when temperatures will struggle to 60°. Frost and freeze issues could very well come into play Friday morning as temperatures dip to the mid-30s in the immediate Charleston Metro Area with colder temperatures, perhaps flirting with freezing, further inland. The high on Friday should only top out in the mid-50s despite ample sunshine, owing to the abnormally chilly airmass working its way into the area to help get April started out on a chilly note. The early April sun angle will help modify this airmass, though, with temperatures warming back to around normal by Sunday. It’ll be a nice weekend to get outside with plenty of sunshine and comfortable humidity levels expected.

After two days of record warmth, we look once again to approach record highs ahead of a cold front. The NWS forecast high of 87° is one degree off the record of 88° set in 2017 — it’ll be close.

We are already seeing a few downpours pop off in the I-95 corridor near St. George and Holly Hill this morning. However, the better rain chances arrive this afternoon and evening as a line of thunderstorms ahead of a cold front approaches the area. I’d expect thunderstorms to be approaching the I-95 corridor around 4-6 PM, with the line — perhaps in a more broken, weakened state — moving through the Charleston metro area by early to mid-evening. Our risk for severe weather today is low, but not necessarily zero, as a couple storms could still produce damaging wind gusts as they move by (especially if they arrive early enough to interact with the seabreeze circulation). Water temperatures remain generally in the mid-60s, which should lend a stabilizing influence as the storms approach the coast.

As always, keep an eye on forecast updates throughout the day as arrival time estimates are fine-tuned and we see how trends evolve with the strength of these storms.