Thursday’s weather setup will be similar to what we saw on Wednesday with scattered to numerous thunderstorms affecting some spots while the sun peeks out elsewhere. Temperatures will start in the low to mid-70s once again, warming to around 90° in the afternoon — just a smidge above normal for late August. The severe weather risk is low, but once again, a storm or two could produce gusty winds. There is also the risk for flooding given slow storm motions and potential training of rain across the same spots, so stay alert as you get out and about tomorrow.
The hot pattern we have been stuck in for the better part of a week and a half finally begins to break down starting Friday, helping to temper some of the extreme heat that we’ve experienced while also allowing for more showers and thunderstorms, particularly Friday and Saturday.
Another hot day lies ahead on Thursday, but we do have some changes coming that will turn conditions a little more unsettled, which in turn will start to take the edge off this heat some.
That being said, Thursday will mark the ninth consecutive day of heat headlines of some sort, whether it be a Heat Advisory or an Extreme Heat Warning, and it’s getting very difficult to find new ways to tell you it’s going to be hot. We start Thursday in the upper 70s to low 80s once again, with air temperatures in the afternoon peaking in the mid-90s. Heat indices will once again peak between 108-112° — not as bad as it has been, but still pretty gnarly — and that’s prompted the aforementioned heat advisory for Charleston and Berkeley counties. (Looks like we’ll fall short of heat advisory criteria in Dorchester County, but it will still be quite hot to the point where you’ll want to monitor for heat illness if outdoors for an extended period.) A few of us should see some isolated to scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon along and ahead of the seabreeze. There’s not much shear and storm motions will be slow, so heavy rain will continue to be a concern, and with plenty of instability available, storms could produce frequent lightning and gusty winds in downbursts. Be ready for conditions to change on a dime if out and about.
Dangerous heat will continue to be the main weather story as we head into Friday and the weekend, with an isolated to scattered afternoon thunderstorm the only real shot at bringing about any reprieve.
We’ll take the heat up a notch for Thursday as even hotter air temperatures in the upper 90s — perhaps approaching 100° in a few spots — combine with dewpoints in the mid-to-upper 70s to produce heat indices pushing 110-113°. This potential has prompted an Extreme Heat Warning for Charleston and tidal Berkeley counties (Daniel Island, Hanahan) from 11am-8pm. Elsewhere in Berkeley and Dorchester counties, a Heat Advisory will be in effect for the same time period. In these areas, heat indices should peak in the 108-110° range — still quite dangerous, but not nearly as intense as what folks will see closer to the coast, where the moisture-rich maritime air will make it that much harder for your body to cool down. If you must be outside during the advisory/warning period tomorrow, take frequent breaks in the shade with plenty of water.
There will be a risk for a few showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon as some energy ripples by aloft, riding around the periphery of a strong ridge of high pressure centered in the midsection of the continental US. If storms can get going, a stray strong storm or two won’t be out of the question given plenty of moisture to work with. However, don’t count on a thunderstorm to impart much, if any, relief from the extreme heat.
Showers and thunderstorms will remain in the forecast as we head into Friday and the weekend, with the best rain chances on Saturday as a slug of moisture moves ashore.
Like the past few days, we will be getting our storms out of the way during Thursday’s morning and early afternoon hours as storms developing over the Atlantic drift coastward. Expect a warm and muggy start in the mid-70s, warming to around 90° in the afternoon once the sun emerges from behind the clouds. Showers and thunderstorms will once again be capable of producing heavy rain, with a flood advisory or two not out of the question especially if storms begin to train. We may also see a waterspout or two as well; earlier today, a storm off Kiawah produced four waterspouts (none of which made it to shore, at least). Keep an eye out on the beaches or if you have some boating planned.
A brief interlude in midsummer humidity comes to a close as a stalled front that’s been hanging just south of the area lifts back northward on Friday. A stronger front approaches over the weekend, with deeper moisture and more widespread storms possible Sunday.
What looks to be a top-five-warmest July on record will close on a slightly cooler and drier note as high pressure nudges in from the north. Thursday starts in the mid-70s across the area, warming to the low-to-mid-90s in the afternoon with plenty of sunshine. As mentioned, the drier air will keep heat indices a little more in check, though they may still get close to 100° near the coast where the more humid maritime airmass resides. But with all that in mind, it’ll still feel better outside than it did at the start of the week.
A cold front that’s brought quite a bit of rain to North Carolina today will continue to sag southward Friday, stalling out around the area over the weekend and keeping our weather relatively unsettled as a result.
