A non-tropical storm system spinning up offshore will bring wind and rain to the area along with major coastal flooding with the midday high tides Friday and Saturday. We’ll start to see some improvements Sunday, thankfully.

A cold front will pass through overnight, bringing with it a chance for showers and maybe even some thunder as it moves by. Behind that front will be a significant airmass change as high pressure builds southwestward into the area. We’ll wake up to lows in the mid-60s, with temperatures climbing just to the mid-70s under mostly cloudy skies. It’s going to be quite breezy, with northeasterly winds gusting 30-35 MPH at times, especially near the coast.

The strong northeasterly winds will drive water levels in the harbor quite high on top of already high astronomical tides, especially during the day on Thursday (and for the next several days). High tide will peak around 10:06 AM around 8-8.2′ MLLW, which is comfortably in the major flooding threshold. A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect and will likely be upgraded to a warning if trends continue overnight. Be ready for numerous road closures in downtown Charleston as well as salt water impingement onto roads on James and Johns Islands as well as Daniel Island. Moderate coastal flooding is expected with the evening high tide as well, with water levels peaking around 7.5-7.7 MLLW between 9 PM and midnight. This should be high enough for another round of road closures downtown, so be mindful if your travels take you there Thursday night.

Temperatures will continue to be generally seasonable if not slightly cooler than normal for Friday and the weekend as high pressure continues to wedge southward into the area, though we will see an uptick in moisture and, eventually, rain chances heading into Sunday.

Thursday will give us a really nice taste of fall as cool high pressure wedges southward into the area. We’ll start the day with temperatures around 60°, warming to just the mid-70s under partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies. The northeasterly breeze will still be somewhat elevated, which may contribute to some minor tidal flooding around the 4:45 PM high tide. Otherwise, it’ll be an enjoyable day to get outside and touch some grass.

A front and upper-level low will send weather downhill as we get into Friday afternoon and the rest of the weekend, though that won’t be the main weather story, methinks, as we monitor the disturbance currently known as Invest 94L in the tropics for possible development and subsequent impacts next week.

After hitting 91° on Wednesday, we look to take another trip to the 90s on Thursday as ridging aloft combines with Atlantic high pressure to keep us well on the warm side of normal for another day. Temperatures start in the low to mid-70s, well above normal for this point in the year, warming to the 90s in the afternoon with heat indices making it feel more like the mid-90s. We could see a stray shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening along and ahead of the seabreeze, but most of us should stay dry.

There’s really not terribly much to write home about weather-wise for Friday and the weekend with high pressure remaining in control. Temperatures will remain on the warm side of normal, particularly on Friday and Saturday. We start each day in the upper 60s, warming to the upper 80s Friday and into the mid-80s on Saturday with mostly sunny skies expected. A front sinking south across the area on Sunday will bring in some cloud cover and maybe even a stray shower or two, along with gusty winds (especially at the coast). This will keep highs a little cooler as a result, but still right around normal for this point in the year. Dewpoints will remain elevated — generally running in the upper 60s to around 70° — so there will be a bit of mugginess in the air as well (especially compared to how we started the week).

With winds starting to come back around to the northeast, we could see another round of coastal flooding begin with Saturday evening’s high tide. Stay tuned for possible Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.

Another warm day is ahead for Thursday as high pressure generally remains in control with winds coming a bit more out of the west and southwest. Temperatures Thursday start much warmer than they did on Wednesday, with lows in the upper 60s to around 70° expected. We’ll warm to the mid-to-upper 80s in the afternoon under generally partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or storm is possible well inland, but the vast, vast majority of us will stay rain-free.

More sunshine will show itself starting Friday and lasting into the weekend courtesy of continued high pressure and northeasterly winds keeping a feed of cooler and drier air coming in. All in all, we can expect lows in the mid-60s each morning, with highs peaking in the low to mid-80s in the afternoon. Fun fact: This looks like the first weekend since July 26-27 without at least a trace of rain at either of the climate sites, so suffice it to say, we are very, very due for a quiet weekend of weather.

Thursday will run a bit on the cloudy side, but we’ll still see some peeks of sun at times to allow temperatures to warm from the mid-60s in the morning to the mid-80s in the afternoon. Northeasterly winds persist, keeping dewpoints relatively low and the air comfortably warm as a result. We will continue to contend with some salt water flooding around the midday high tide, which could close a few roads for those of us headed for an early lunch downtown.