More heat and humidity are on tap for Thursday, but with a slightly better chance of storms in the afternoon especially as a front gets closer to the area. We’ll start the day in the mid-70s once again, warming back to the mid-90s in the afternoon. We’ll be keeping an eye on a line of thunderstorms to our northwest, which could help induce some stronger storms in the metro later in the afternoon through the evening hours. Damaging wind gusts would be the primary concern in the strongest storms, though the risk for severe weather is generally low (but not zero) across the area.
High pressure will continue to build in aloft, sending temperatures upward and storm chances downward. Tuesday will be another rather warm day, with lows in the mid-70s to start the day warming to the low 90s in the afternoon. Mix in dewpoints running in the low 70s, and that’ll yield heat indices right around the 100-101° mark during the height of the afternoon. Heat indices could even briefly spike in the immediate wake of the seabreeze as dewpoints surge before temperatures start to fall.
A storm or two will be possible along and ahead of the seabreeze, but with the capped atmosphere, it’s going to be tough to get much, if anything, to break through, much less sustain itself. Still, though, you can never completely rule it out this time of year.
After a quiet start to the day, another round of afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop and move across parts of the Tri-County on Thursday as we remain in an unsettled pattern. Alas, we will keep this going into the weekend, too.
Showers and storms, a few of which could be on the strong side, will be possible again on Tuesday, particularly in the afternoon, as low pressure aloft remains in place and the heating of the day kicks in. The warm and muggy airmass stays in place, with lows in the low 70s warming to the upper 80s in the afternoon before storms develop. Guidance suggests showers and storms develop in the 2-3 PM timeframe, and there will be the risk for a storm or two to become severe once again with damaging winds the main threat. The risk for severe weather is a little lower Tuesday, but will still need to be monitored especially after a rough day for Summerville.
Thunderstorms remain likely, especially in the afternoon, as low pressure lifts north and away from the area throughout the day. A warm and humid airmass remains in place, and this will get us off to a balmy start in the low 70s. Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms should redevelop by afternoon, keeping highs suppressed to the mid-80s. Rain could still be heavy at times, with spots potentially reaching another inch of rain or so before it’s over. Not everyone will see that kind of rain, though.
Breezy conditions remain possible especially at the coast and over the waters, so it’ll be another day where boating and beaching will be generally unadvisable. The good news, though, is that with the low pushing inland, the risk for any sort of tropical development — low as the risk was this entire time — has ended. (Take the wins where you get them.)
We’ve got one more day of quiet weather in store for Tuesday before low pressure offshore begins to send moisture back our direction starting Wednesday. Temperatures Tuesday start in the mid-60s, and we’ll warm to the mid-to-upper 80s under generally partly cloudy skies as high pressure builds in briefly from the north.
After a balmy start in the low 70s that could feature some patches of fog, temperatures will warm to near 90° in the afternoon before scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms kick off courtesy of the seabreeze as well as some energy aloft. Heavy rain will be possible with these thunderstorms, and a few stronger storms with strong winds will be possible as well, with some of the high-res models pointing to clusters of storms developing and moving from southwest to northeast across the Lowcountry late in the day. Stay alert for rapidly changing conditions, particularly during the evening commute.
A reprieve from the early-season stretch of 90° temperatures commences Thursday in the wake of a cold front. We’ll start the day noticeably cooler and drier than previous days, with lows bottoming out in the mid-60s as opposed to the low 70s. Highs will still run a little warmer than normal, but upper 80s will still represent cooler highs, especially on the heels of highs in the low 90s the past few days. Despite the warmer-than-normal temperatures, the lower dewpoints in the mid-50s will send relative humidity values down to around 30% or so during the day, so at least any sweat will have a chance to do its thing to cool you off.
Expect less in the way of cloud cover on Tuesday as the front that helped focus some shower and thunderstorm activity across the area on Monday meanders north and high pressure builds in aloft with plenty of dry, sinking air to be found. We’ll stay on the toasty side of normal for mid-May, with lows in the low 70s warming to the low-to-mid-90s in the afternoon. Dewpoints aren’t terribly out of control, thankfully, so heat indices won’t be too much of a factor, only running about 2-3° or so above the air temperature. That said, it’s still quite warm for this point in the year — the normal high for May 20 is 84°.
Wednesday was the warmest day thus far of 2025, with a high of 89° recorded at the airport. This distinction will be short-lived as high pressure continues to build in on Thursday, sending us to what should be our first 90° readings of the year in the afternoon. Mostly sunny skies are expected to prevail, so be sure to apply sunscreen if you are headed outside for a little pre-summer preview.
