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.
National surface analysis with satellite overlay at 2PM June 17, 2020.
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.
After over an inch and a half of rain today that caused flooding in downtown Charleston, we are going to see a nice break for a few days with plenty of sunshine. Temperatures will run cooler than normal for early March with highs in the low 60s Friday and Sunday. Saturday will be even cooler in the wake of a dry cold front that swings through sometime Friday afternoon.
Friday will be pretty windy, with gusts 30-35 MPH possible across the area. NWS notes in its forecast discussion that there is the potential for gusts to 40 MPH on elevated roadways (read: the Cooper River and Wando bridges), so be extra cautious when driving.
Next rain chance could arrive as soon as next Tuesday, but for now, enjoy drying out!
It’s a much, much cooler start to Thursday as a cold front swung through late yesterday. Deep-layer dry air will keep skies clear throughout the day, and the cooler high pressure building in from the west will keep temperatures down in the mid-50s this afternoon. It’s a bit windy in the wake of the front; morning lows in the low 40s feel more like the mid-30s.
Sea fog impacts will wane this morning, but some areas of dense fog will be possible through 10am. Attention then turns toward what looks to be a rather warm day across the Lowcountry with the record high of 78° set in 1976 in serious jeopardy. If the forecast verifies, this would be the fourth 80° day of the season and the third this year.
Later this afternoon into this evening, a line of showers and thunderstorms will approach the area from the west alongside a cold front, which will knock temperatures down for this weekend. A couple strong thunderstorms with the capability of producing wind damage are possible. Widespread severe weather isn’t expected, but be ready in case a warning is issued. These thunderstorms look to affect the area between 4-8 PM.
For the first time in a week, there are no 70s in the forecast — that’s courtesy of a cold front that’s swung through the area this evening, finally knocking us back toward weather that feels much more in line with where we are on the calendar. Temperatures on Friday will not get out of the 50s in the afternoon despite mostly sunny skies. As another cold front approaches the area, we’ll see temperatures warm back to the 60s with shower chances Saturday and Sunday. As we get into next week, temperatures will really plunge, with freezing temperatures expected for the first time since December 20. Hope you haven’t misplaced your jackets!
A dry cold front will swing through tonight, knocking high temperatures down to around 60° for Black Friday despite plentiful sunshine. Bundle up if you’re headed out to shop early in the day, as wind chills will be in the mid-30s.
We stay fairly cool on Saturday as clouds increase ahead of our next front, with highs topping out in the mid-60s. Rain looks likely Sunday, particularly in the afternoon. Be ready to enact Plan B for outdoor activities. Temperatures will rise into the low 70s ahead of the front, before heading below normal for the first full week of December.
