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.
We’ve got one more day in the 80s coming up for Tuesday before the May-like warmth takes a backseat to more seasonable March temperatures. Temperatures will soar into the mid-80s in most spots except at the immediate coast as winds out of the west and northwest pin the seabreeze. We look to threaten record highs both at the airport and at downtown Charleston one more time — 86° and 83°, respectively, both set in 1961 — before a cold front sweeps through the area in the late afternoon/early evening hours.
Dewpoints will fall throughout the day as low-level moisture mixes out into an increasingly dry airmass. Once the front gets through, temperatures should hold in the upper 70s before falling quickly once daytime heating is lost. The front will pass through with little fanfare other than a wind shift more toward the north and then the northeast as cool high pressure builds in behind it. We’ll bottom out on Wednesday in the mid-to-upper 40s — easily the coolest start to a day since mid-February — and only top out in the mid-to-upper 60s in the afternoon, perhaps as much of a 20° drop from Tuesday’s high!
We had another record warm day in the Lowcountry today. The high at the airport reached 86°, breaking the record of 83° set in 2017. Despite the seabreeze making more of an inroads today, Downtown Charleston appears to have tied its record high as well, topping out at 79° to match the mark on March 1, 1918.
We will have one more day of record-challenging temperatures on Thursday before some of the extreme warmth begins to subside. Highs should top out once again in the mid-80s, getting within spitting distance of the record high of 85° set in 1997. This is despite some additional cloud cover and perhaps a few showers and maybe a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening hours as southwesterly winds ahead of a cold front continue to strengthen across the area. Most of us will get the day in rain-free, though, with the better risk of showers and storms to our north near a frontal boundary. (This might or might not be such a great thing considering the absolute onslaught of pollen that continues across the Lowcountry!)
Mostly sunny skies and westerly winds will combine to bring temperatures in striking distance of additional records on Tuesday. Highs across the area will generally top out in the low-to-mid-80s, with the warmest weather away from the coast. The seabreeze is going to have a tough time getting too far inland with the persistent and occasionally breezy west winds, which should spread the 80s onto the barrier islands. The beaches should run much cooler, with temperatures in the low-to-mid-70s right on the coast.
The record high for Tuesday is 86°, set in 1962. While we may not tie or break that record, the record high minimum temperature of 63° set in 2021 certainly looks attainable.
We will continue to get near record highs for a good chunk of the rest of the week before a cold front — and perhaps some strong storms — approach the area Friday.
Our warm spell peaks on Thursday on the heels of a second consecutive day where we’ve at least tied the record high. Temperatures will soar into the mid-80s, getting within striking distance of the record high of 86° set just last year. We’ll see a few more clouds ahead of an approaching backdoor cold front, but we look to remain rain-free for one more day.
After highs topped out around 78° today, we’ll once again challenge (and likely reach) 80° for the third time so far in 2023 on Tuesday as high pressure continues to build across the area. We’ll be in a mix of clouds and sun throughout the day with perhaps a shower or two later in the day/early evening as some upper-level energy glances the area.
The record high for Tuesday is 82°, first set in 1991 and then tied in 2019. We will get within striking distance, especially if cloud cover thins out a bit more. It’s also worth noting that the forecast low temperature of 60° is only five degrees below the normal high for this point in the year, and is just one degree below the record high minimum temperature of 61° set in 1989.
Temperatures topped out close to 80° today in the Lowcountry, and we should meet or even slightly exceed that for Thursday despite a little more cloud cover ahead of Friday’s cold front. We start the day quite mild for mid-February (mid-50s) before soaring to around 80° in the afternoon. Certainly a short-sleeve day for a majority of the day; you’ll shed that light jacket quite early on, methinks.
Thursday will be another warm day across the Lowcountry. We’ll start the day with mid-50s and some patches of fog. Heading into the afternoon, highs will top out in the mid-to-upper 70s once again despite more cloud cover than we saw on Wednesday. South winds will be a touch on the breezy side as well. We should get the day in rain-free across much of the area. There’s a small chance that a shower or two could brush the coast in the afternoon, but the bulk of the rain stays away until overnight Thursday into Friday.
No major weather concerns to write home about for Tuesday. There may be some patches of fog in the morning, but nothing too heinous or concerning (though if you do run into fog, make sure you’re using your low beams and keeping some extra following distance). Otherwise, temperatures around 40° will rise into the upper 60s to around 70° in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies, making for a nice day across the Lowcountry.
