We’re going to get 2021 off to a bit of a stormy start as a cold front affects our weather Friday and into much of the weekend before clearing the area Sunday afternoon.

We’ve got a warmer-than-normal weekend ahead of us as high pressure slips offshore and a cold front approaches from the west.

Friday will remain mostly sunny after some patches of possibly dense fog in the morning. Highs will top out right around 70°, making for a nice afternoon across the area. Similar temperatures are expected Saturday despite more cloud cover. A slight shower chance comes into the forecast late Saturday, continuing into Sunday. Temperatures will top out in the low 70s on Sunday ahead of the cold front.

No washout is expected this weekend — just keep rain gear handy in case a shower comes through. The majority of the rain associated with the front will come through Monday, with the heaviest rains looking to remain to our north.

Mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures will make for a very nice Thursday across the Lowcountry. Expect temperatures to start out in the upper 30s to low 40s in the morning, followed by highs topping out in the mid-60s — just a touch above normal for December 10.

Friday will see a brief return to the 70s as a cold front approaches the area. Showers look to begin in the afternoon and will continue through the overnight, with the bulk of the rain falling during the late afternoon/evening hours. Rain will taper off overnight as the front moves through, and by sunrise Saturday we should see clearing skies and breezy westerly winds.

The weekend looks nice and sunny, but will be a little chilly. Highs will only get to the low 60s on Saturday in the wake of the front. The cool weather continues on Sunday, with lows in the upper 30s and highs topping out in the upper 50s. This will still run a little below normal for the first weekend of December, but won’t be quite as cold as the airmass we had earlier this week.

Bring in your pets and plants again tonight as temperatures will be headed toward the freezing mark once more, generally along and inland of Highway 17. The freeze won’t be quite as widespread as we saw this morning, but expect temperatures to fall into the 30s close to the coast, including into downtown Charleston.

After the chilly start, temperatures will rebound back into the 60s for the afternoon as winds turn more onshore throughout the day. Expect clouds to increase as well from the west ahead of our next storm system, which brings rain back to the area for Friday.

After a soggy day that turned quite breezy thanks to Tropical Storm Eta and a cold front, we will begin to see temperatures more in line with what we expect from Fall (but still above normal). Clouds will scour out on Friday, leaving a fairly lovely day with highs topping out in the mid-70s. Saturday will be quite refreshing in comparison to where we have been; we’ll start the day in the mid-50s and head up to around 72° under mostly sunny skies. A cold front approaches the area on Sunday, which will kick up a little compressional heating ahead of it and send highs back toward 80° (albeit with less humidity). A few showers will be possible ahead of the front. Sunday’s front is the one that is going to knock us back into temperatures more in line with November norms as we get into next week.

High pressure ridging overhead is going to keep thunderstorm chances low and temperatures up for Friday and the weekend. Couple that with a side of Saharan dust advecting in from the southwest and we’ll have a few hot, hazy, and humid days ahead. In fact, during the afternoons, heat indices may approach the upper 90s to around 100 at times, so be sure you’re getting hydration if you are outdoors. A stray thunderstorm or two will be possible Friday and Saturday afternoon, with a tighter lid on potential storms for Sunday (as things stand right now, anyway).

Sunsets could be particularly colorful Saturday and Sunday night, as NASA dust modeling suggests peak Saharan dust activity around these times. It remains to be seen what, if any, air quality impacts there will be, but we’ll want to keep an eye on that for sensitive groups, especially with our recent acceleration in coronavirus cases aggravating respiratory matters.

We have been in quite the cool spell this week as an upper-level low pressure system in concert with a stalled front have kept clouds and showers in the forecast. The cool temperatures have been rather remarkable for June, with legitimate hoodie weather the past couple days as several record low maximum temperatures were achieved both at Charleston International Airport and downtown Charleston. Summer’s coming back, though…

Weather will turn sharply warmer on Friday as Mother Nature boots up the heat pump, with record highs in the forecast Friday through Sunday. Records at the airport are likely to fall all three days as a rather strong subtropical ridge builds in from the south and surface winds swing around to the south and southwest. The ridge will help keep any sort of thunderstorm activity at bay, too, with just fair weather cumulus mixing in for some brief relief from sunshine from time to time. Dewpoints will stay relatively sane in the mid-60s, so while it’ll be hot, it won’t be quite as humid as we might find in the summertime. Temperatures moderate some as you get closer to the coast, with mid-80s expected in downtown Charleston, and mid-to-upper 70s at the beaches thanks to water temperatures around 65°. Suffice to say, this is a terrible weekend for beaches to be closed. Please continue to stay close to home and do your part to ensure we can stop the spread of COVID-19!

After maxing out just a couple degrees shy of a record high on Thursday (83°, to be exact), temperatures will remain well above normal for Friday and Saturday before a backdoor cold front wedges cooler high pressure at the surface for Sunday. This cool wedge will knock temperatures much closer to normal for this time of year. Showers will be possible ahead on Saturday, and then become more prevalent as Sunday wears on as a disturbance ripples through the area. Cooler weather will then hang on for the first part of the work week, but expect 80s to return toward the second half.