High pressure wedging into the area will keep us on the somewhat cool and cloudy side for the next few days, with shower chances peaking Wednesday before tapering off for Thursday and Friday (though cloud cover and the occasional shower or storm will linger). Highs on Wednesday and Thursday shouldn’t get out of the upper 70s, while we may trend a little warmer Friday as some drier air begins to work in and a little more sunshine becomes possible.
We have one more day of the upper 80s in store before changes arrive in the form of a wedge of high pressure building in from the northeast for the rest of the week. Tuesday starts in the upper 60s inland to perhaps mid-to-upper 70s closer to the coast. Highs then head into the upper 80s once more, and with dewpoints edging up into the upper 60s, it’ll feel closer to 90° or so. From there, clouds will increase and a few showers should break out in the afternoon, though nothing over-the-top is really expected. There may be a rumble of thunder late, but overall, not expecting much in the way of lightning. Shower chances continue into the evening, and really for much of the rest of the work week from there.
The rest of the work week will turn somewhat unsettled as a coastal low spins up later this week into the weekend. Wednesday still looks good, though, with seasonable warmth in the mid-80s under partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. We could see a couple isolated thunderstorms pop on Thursday as onshore flow becomes a little more pronounced as a coastal trough sharpens nearby. Temperatures will start in the mid-60s and top out in the mid-80s in the afternoon.
Friday is when we should start to see winds begin to kick up at the coast as the pressure gradient between low pressure developing offshore and high pressure over New England begins to tighten. The stronger onshore flow as well as a scattering of showers and a few thunderstorms will keep highs in the mid-to-upper 70s. Yes, there is still a low chance that this system could attain some tropical characteristics, but it’s not something I’d be overly concerned with. Could make for a less-than-ideal weekend at the beaches, though. Stay tuned to forecast updates as we get closer to the weekend.
We have another pretty day ahead for Tuesday (weather-wise, anyway). Temperatures start out quite nicely, with much of the metro starting in the low 60s. Some spots further inland could bottom out in the upper 50s, while places closer to the coast will generally feel warmer lows in the upper 60s. Temperatures head to the mid-80s in the afternoon. Dewpoints will mix down to the mid-50s except perhaps at the immediate coast, sending relative humidity values south of 40% once more. Overall, no complaints in the weather department.
Shower and thunderstorm chances — as well as temperatures — peak on Wednesday ahead of a cold front approaching the area. We’ll start the day in the low 70s with highs heading into the upper 80s in the afternoon before thunderstorms erupt generally along the seabreeze. A few thunderstorms could produce some strong wind gusts, with heavy rain and frequent lightning the more widespread concerns. The front should stall out to our west for the balance of the day before making its move through the area overnight Wednesday.
The airmass change behind the front will be somewhat slow at first. We’ll certainly see slightly lower dewpoints Thursday with air temperatures topping out a few degrees cooler as well, generally in the mid-80s. However, there should be enough low-level moisture to allow for a few popup showers and storms in the afternoon, so be ready for the potential to dodge a storm or two.
The airmass change picks up steam later Thursday into Friday, which looks positively brilliant. Expect lows in the mid-60s Friday to be followed by highs in the low 80s in the afternoon under nearly unfettered sunshine. Dewpoints will fall into the low-to-mid-50s during the day, providing a comfortably warm feel to the air. We’ll keep this going into the weekend, too, with lows bottoming out near 60° on Saturday. (Might even record a few upper 50s in some spots!) Fall is indeed coming, but these transitional seasons can be a little frustrating at times as the weather see-saws back and forth. (Hence “transitional season.”
Tuesday’s forecast will once again feature a seasonably warm and humid airmass that’ll give rise to some showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, generally along and ahead of the seabreeze. We start the day in the low-to-mid-70s. Some fog may be around as we start the day, so be ready for possible visibility reductions particularly as you get further inland. Highs top out around 90° in the afternoon before a few storms fire, which will cool things off for some of us. A couple strong storms are possible, but don’t expect a widespread severe weather issue.
The forecast for the rest of the work week is generally on track: Temperatures in the mid-90s will continue through Thursday with peak heat indices around 100° thanks to some, but not too much, humidity. Skies will generally run partly cloudy to mostly sunny. Storm chances don’t return to the picture until Friday, and even then, it looks like coverage will be more on the isolated side. The weaker ridge will keep temperatures running a little lower (low 90s) on Friday, but above-normal temperatures look to continue heading into the weekend despite steadily increasing storm chances as a front arrives and stalls out nearby. (Remember, normal is looking a little lower these days: normal highs for this week generally run around 87°.)
Plenty of sunshine is in the offing for the rest of the work week as high pressure remains the primary driving force for our weather. Temperatures climbed back into the low 90s on Labor Day, and this will continue as we head into the rest of the week, with mid-90s expected by mid-week. Dewpoints in the mid-60s will keep heat indices in the mid-90s on Tuesday, but as dewpoints creep up throughout the week, so it shall be with the heat index as well. Feels-like temperatures will be flirting with 100° again starting Wednesday through the rest of the week.
There’s not much in the way of rainfall to report on for much of the week with high pressure in control, but we start to see some cracks in the armor on Friday as a few storms should pop on the seabreeze, with slightly better coverage of showers and storms each afternoon this weekend.
Tuesday will be another warm and muggy day as we prepare for Idalia’s arrival in the Lowcountry. We start the day in the mid-70s and warm to around 90° with heat indices approaching 100° within the increasingly tropical airmass. Showers and thunderstorms should begin to fire along the seabreeze in the afternoon and become somewhat numerous at times. Heavy rain capable of minor flooding will be possible. We’ll also need to watch the risk for coastal flooding in the evening, with minor to moderate flooding possible as water levels approaching 7.5′ with the 7:31 PM high tide. Due to the Storm Surge Watch in effect, there will be no Coastal Flood Advisory, so keep that in mind.
The air on Wednesday evening is fairly glorious — dewpoints in the mid-60s behind the seabreeze, with even some 50s dewpoints ahead of it — thanks to a cold front that pushed through earlier in the day. We’ll keep some of this dry air around for Thursday, which will keep the high of 92° feeling closer to 93-94°. We’ll see a few clouds across the area, but otherwise, it’ll be another reasonably pleasant late-August day.
