Showers return to the area on Thursday as energy aloft moves across the region ahead of a slow-moving cold front. The best chance for rain will arrive later in the day, and will stick with us into Friday. Temperatures Thursday start on a much more mild note — generally expect lows to fall to the low 50s in the morning, with highs peaking in the upper 60s in the afternoon.

Our cold snap continues Tuesday as lows bottom out in the mid-20s in the morning. Winds will remain a touch elevated with the lingering pressure gradient between the high to our west and the nor’easter pulling away from New England, so wind chills will be a factor, perhaps briefly dipping into the teens (but not long enough for a Cold Weather Advisory, per NWS). Temperatures will run a few degrees warmer than they did on Monday, but that’s not saying much as Monday’s high only peaked around 48°. We can at least expect another day of mostly sunny skies with the cool and dry airmass still in place. Temperatures turn back up starting Wednesday as a cold front approaches the area; we should be in the 70s again by Thursday, and shower chances return for Friday.

We’ll see more in the way of cloud cover and maybe even a few showers on Thursday, but that won’t stop temperatures from getting back to the mid-70s after a warm-for-February start in the mid-50s. Deep southwesterly flow will continue to pump warm and moist air into the area, and as temperatures warm into the 70s, this could spawn a few popup showers (not something we often say in February!) along with gusts around 20-25 MPH.

A warming trend kicks off Tuesday as high pressure moves overhead and eventually offshore. It’ll be quite a nice day after we start around 40° in the morning; temperatures will head well into the 60s by afternoon with plenty of sunshine to be had and comfortable relative humidity values. Winds won’t be quite as strong as they were on Monday, either, with speeds generally around 5 MPH. Winds will shift around to the southeast as high pressure slips into the Atlantic, a harbinger of warmer air to come.

A storm system will affect the area on Sunday, bringing us some showers at times and maybe even a few thunderstorms as we get into the afternoon and evening hours. We need the rain as moderate drought continues to envelop the area, and a half-inch to even an inch of rain will be possible. While that won’t put an end to the drought by any stretch, it will certainly help.

After a front gets through overnight, we’ll turn cooler for Thursday as temperatures head ever-so-slightly below normal. We’ll start Thursday in the upper 30s to around 40°, warming to the low 60s in the afternoon under predominantly sunny skies. While not quite the 70s, it’ll still be a solid mid-February day in the Lowcountry.

One could make the argument that Tuesday’s forecast might be the most pleasant in a few weeks as temperatures head well above normal as we end up on the north side of high pressure centered roughly around Tampa, FL. We’ll start the day around 40°, but west and southwest winds along with mostly sunny skies will help drive temperatures some 30° warmer during the day, with highs reaching the low 70s across much of the area (save for the immediate coast, where marine influences will keep temperatures capped to the upper 50s to around 60°). This should be our first 70° day since January 22, when the high reached 72°.

After some much-needed rain Wednesday, Thursday will be a much cooler day as a cold front moves by. Some showers may linger in the morning, but otherwise we can expect a mostly cloudy day with some peeks of sun from time to time. Expect temperatures to start in the mid-to-upper 30s, warming to just the mid-40s in the afternoon given the cloud cover and cooler air blowing in from the north.

So far today, snow totals have come in a little under what was first expected for this phase of the event thanks to some dry air intrusion, and this trend right now looks to continue. The upper low which has been driving our snowfall will continue to lumber across the area tonight, and there remains the possibility for some additional bursts of snow to develop, though those opportunities will become increasingly rare as the night wears on. Latest guidance suggests that any remaining snowfall should scour out by 4-5 AM as drier air gets pulled in behind the departing coastal low. With gusts increasing to potentially 30 MPH, especially near and at the coast, there will be a risk for some of that light, fluffy snow to blow around and impede visibilities. Honestly, just best to stay in tonight if you can help it.

Another chilly day lies ahead for Thursday as a dry cold front slides southward across the area, reinforcing the cooler airmass that’s been in place for much of this past week so far. Temperatures will start in the upper 20s to around 30° for yet another subfreezing start this week. We’ll see some clouds at times, with greater cloud cover expected as we get into the evening, but otherwise there should be plenty of sunshine. Despite the sun, though, the reinforcing shot of cooler air keeps highs pinned to the upper 40s to around 50°.