If you’re into highs in the 80s and rain-free weather, try to take advantage of Thursday because changes are in store heading into the weekend. We’ll start the day in the mid-60s, well above normal for this point in the year, before warming back into the mid-80s for the afternoon. (The record high of 90° set in 1967, thankfully, remains safe.)

Lingering showers will clear the area overnight, setting us up for a much warmer Tuesday as winds go more westerly and clouds scour out. Expect highs to peak in the mid-80s away from the coast in the afternoon after starting the day in the mid-60s. These temperatures easily run 10°+ above normal for this point in the year, where the normal high is 74° and the normal low is 52°. (The record high for April 4 of 91°, set in 1963, mercifully remains safe.)

Calm winds and clear skies will allow temperatures to fall quite nicely tonight, with lows bottoming out in the low 40s across much of the metro area to start Thursday. (Thankfully, not low enough to deal with frost or freeze concerns.) Full sunshine will allow temperatures to warm nicely into the low 70s, making for what should be a rather pleasant day across the Lowcountry.

A cold front will swing through tonight and will stall out across southeast Georgia. This will take a little bit of the mugginess out of the air for Tuesday, though scattered showers will be possible in the afternoon and evening hours as a disturbance moves on through. However, with the lower dewpoints — think upper 50s rather than mid-60s — the risk for thunderstorms is just about nil, and the risk for severe weather is nonexistent. Just watch for some patches of fog in the morning. Highs climb into the mid-70s at best given the slightly drier airmass, continued cloud cover, and the expected shower activity.

Overnight Tuesday, a shot of much drier air works its way into the area, leading to a much cooler — but sunnier — Wednesday, followed by a warming trend back into the 80s to close out the work week.

A warm front will lift north of the area tonight, clearing out the light rain and bringing back the 80s to the area for the next several days. We start Thursday in the mid-to-upper 50s, with temperatures warming into the low 80s away from the slightly cooler coastline in the afternoon under increasingly sunny skies. For reference, normal highs for this point in the year are in the low 70s, though we will remain well under the record high of 87° set in 1995. Winds out of the south and southwest will be a little breezy, which might add to some slight complications for any outdoor lunch plans. Other than that, though, a pretty decent late-March day.

Welcome to Spring! A Freeze Warning is in effect for inland Berkeley and Dorchester overnight into Tuesday morning, with a risk for patchy frost in other sheltered spots. This will be the last one of these for a little while, though, as a warming trend commences. It will be subtle on Tuesday, with highs running in the mid-60s as opposed to the low 60s — still well below climatology for this point in March. Skies will generally run mostly sunny with a few more clouds in the afternoon.

Northeasterly winds and the new moon will combine to produce tidal flooding during the Tuesday morning commute. Water levels could approach 7.3-7.5′ around 8:34am, which should be enough to close a couple roads in downtown Charleston. Be ready for delays if downtown is in your plans, particularly the west side of the peninsula.

Be sure you’re protecting pets and plants tonight as another period of freezing temperatures will be possible across the metro away from the coast. Even where temperatures don’t dip below freezing, calm winds will make for much more favorable conditions for frost to develop. So, regardless of where you are, be sure to cover those sensitive plants and have loved ones in and warm.

Thereafter, a warming trend will commence as high pressure starts to slip offshore, turning winds a little more southerly. We’ll see highs top out very near 70° on what should prove to be a nice Thursday across the metro area. A few more clouds will begin to fill in later in the day ahead of a cold front.

After an unexpectedly cool day in which temperatures did not get out of the 50s for the first time since February 18, we have another rather chilly day ahead for Tuesday despite full sunshine. Air temperatures to start the day will run in the low 40s in the immediate metro area (and cooler than that further inland), but factor in a decent 5-10mph northwest breeze and it’ll feel closer to the mid-30s in the morning.

As the day goes on, freezing levels will drop close to 4,000 feet and occasionally breezy northwest winds will continue to pump cooler air into the area, keeping surface temperatures in the upper 50s at best in the afternoon. This is more in line with early January normals than mid-March. A very dry atmospheric column will preclude anything in the way of cloud cover, so sunshine will be brilliant and unfettered at least, and should make the resulting cool air temperature feel a little better.

Sunday will start rain-free but with more clouds than sun as moisture builds down into the area ahead of a storm system which will lift a warm front very close by. Low pressure moving along this warm front along with the continued influx of moisture should be enough to kick off some showers and maybe even a thunderstorm starting early afternoon. The peak of the rain should be in the evening hours as the low makes its closest approach, with shower chances hanging around through about midnight. Temperatures will be in the 60s much of the day after warming out of the upper 40s during the morning. As the warm front peeks north, we could briefly touch 70° or so from the metro area southward, but I’d be prepared for a lukewarm rain.

More seasonable weather for early March continues on Thursday with a few more clouds working their way into the area ahead of a storm system that’ll bring rain our way on Friday. We’ll start the day in the low-to-mid-40s before warming to the upper 60s in the afternoon. Rain chances should hold off until after midnight.