Tuesday will be another sunny day across the area, though you’ll want a jacket as cooler-than-normal temperatures continue. We start the day in the mid-30s, but the wind chill will make it feel around freezing. Some spots well inland could hit freezing, too. Bring in your pets tonight and cover or bring in any sensitive plants, just in case. Temperatures then warm once again to merely the mid-to-upper 50s despite mostly sunny skies as cool high pressure persists. This runs a few degrees below normal; the normal high for December 12 is 63°.
Thursday will represent the bottom-most point of this week’s temperatures rollercoaster, with lows bottoming out in the mid-30s across much of the metro with freezing temperatures further inland. Frost is a distinct possibility, and you’ll want to have pets and plants inside overnight Wednesday. Cool high pressure moves across the area during the day Thursday, limiting highs to the upper 50s to around 60° despite predominantly sunny skies.
A reinforcing shot of cool air arrives overnight, and by Tuesday morning, we’ll wake up to temperatures about 10-15° cooler than we woke up to on Monday. Expect to start the day in the mid-40s before warming to the mid-60s in the afternoon under partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies. These temperatures are right around normal for December 5.
A cold front approaching the area should kick off some scattered showers at times throughout the day, with the best chances for rain generally occurring around midday to early afternoon. It’ll be one more unseasonably warm and muggy day across the area despite full overcast: lows will bottom out in the mid-60s — right in the neighborhood of the typical high for early December — with highs topping out in the mid-70s in the afternoon. It may be warm enough for some instability to develop, which could lead to a thunderstorm or two even as the front gets closer during the evening. No severe weather is expected, though. Generally speaking, rainfall amounts won’t be much to write home about — a few hundredths of an inch for most, with perhaps some locally heavier accumulation if a storm can fire. Shower chances taper after sunset, with the front to follow overnight.
Keep those plants covered or indoors: Frost and freeze conditions will return Wednesday night into Thursday morning as cool high pressure remains in place for one more day. Lows will bottom out in the low to mid-30s in much of the metro, with the warmer temperatures near the water. We could even see some 20s further inland and in more rural locations as well. Make sure your pets have a safe place to be tonight!
Temperatures on Thursday will warm to the low-to-mid-60s in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies, perhaps running a few degrees warmer than Wednesday’s highs, but still on the cool side of normal for late November.
Tuesday will begin a string of a few chilly mornings across the metro area. Temperatures will start in the mid-30s; breezy northwest winds will make it feel closer to freezing, so bundle up accordingly. (There should be too much wind and too little moisture for frost formation, BTW.) Cloud cover will hang around for the morning before scouring out in the afternoon. Even so, highs will struggle to the mid-to-upper 50s as northerly winds continue to blow cold air into the region.
There will be a chance for a little salt water to creep up out of some drains around Lockwood as well as out of Gadsden Creek with Tuesday morning’s high tide, though it should peak just shy of coastal flood criteria. Still, you don’t want to drive through salt water if you can help it. High tide on Tuesday morning is expected to peak around 8:17am.
Sunday will feature more in the way of cloud cover as another disturbance affects the area. High pressure wedging southward will help keep things on the cool side as northeasterly winds continue to blow into the area. We start the day in the mid-40s and may not reach 60° in the afternoon thanks to the cloud cover. We should stay rain-free for the morning through early afternoon; from there, showers may begin to develop and move across the area. The best chance for showers will be in the evening as low pressure to the south makes the closest approach. Rainfall should generally be on the light side, but a few pockets of heavier rain certainly can’t be ruled out. Rain should clear the area by Monday morning as high pressure builds back into the area.
The other weather concern for Sunday will arrive early in the morning in the form of coastal flooding. Favorable northeasterly winds and astronomical effects the upcoming full moon will drive water levels into minor to possibly moderate flood stage around the 6:44am high tide Sunday. Salt water may close some roads as water levels approach 7.4-7.6′. If you have early-morning travel plans around the edges of the downtown peninsula, especially on the west side, prepare to reroute around flooded and closed roads.
Tuesday’s forecast will be unsettled at times with periods of showers ahead of a cold front that’ll advance through the area on Wednesday. It’s going to be a warm and humid day, with lows around 60-61° warming to the mid-70s in the afternoon. Shower chances will increase as we get into Tuesday night and early Wednesday, and some rumbles of thunder may be possible as well. We need the rain and it looks like we could get a fair bit of it in spots. A half-inch of rain seems to be a decent bet in many locations, with locally heavier amounts possible as well.
This week’s shower chances will peak Thursday as a disturbance moves across the Gulf Coast, spawning low pressure off the Florida coast. Expect shower activity to generally be scattered in nature, though, with some dry periods and maybe a few breaks in the clouds possible at times. Warmer air will make inroads as the wedge of high pressure which kept temperatures fairly well suppressed over the past few days begins to give way. Expect highs to top out in the low 70s in the afternoon as a result.
There will again be the risk for some minor coastal flooding with Thursday morning’s high tide, which is expected to peak around 9:33am. Much like Wednesday morning, water levels should reach 7-7.2′ again, which should be enough to put some salt water on the roads but not enough to begin to introduce widespread issues. Still, the vulnerable locations on the west side of the peninsula near The Citadel and Gadsden Green will likely take on salt water once again during the morning. Be ready to reroute around flooded roads.
Another seasonably cool fall day awaits for Tuesday as we start to see an uptick in cloud cover portending more unsettled weather beginning later Wednesday into the rest of the work week. Temperatures start in the mid-40s before heading to the mid-60s in the afternoon, a couple clicks below normal but certainly very seasonally-appropriate. We’ll see ample sunshine, too, but as mentioned, cloud cover will begin to head up as we get into the evening.
High tide a little after 8am will be capable of producing some minor coastal flooding, with water levels generally approaching 7′ or so. It’ll be enough to put salt water on the most vulnerable roads — think around Hagood and Fishburne — but won’t cause widespread problems. Still, be ready to reroute around salt water-covered roads Tuesday morning.