90° temperatures have been tough to come by so far this August. (Please note this is not necessarily a complaint.) Since August 1, only today (August 12) has been a 90° day. It’ll get a little easier to achieve the 90° mark going forward, though, as ridging aloft continues to build in. High pressure in the mid-levels helps temperatures heat up while keeping more widespread thunderstorm activity tamped down. We’ll have plenty of humidity in play, which will allow heat indices to head into the low 100s each afternoon — hot for sure, but not Heat Advisory hot, at least. And yes, there will be a chance for a few thunderstorms each day primarily along and ahead of the seabreeze (with perhaps better coverage on Friday). A couple storms could turn strong or even severe where outflow boundaries collide, and heavy rainfall is certainly a concern as well given deep moisture. However, once again, we’ve had much worse very recently, and shouldn’t have a replay of the past weekend for a bit. Just be ready to head indoors in case thunderstorms approach, and you’ll be fine.

After a rambunctious Monday that featured widespread showers and thunderstorms leading to flash flooding downtown as well as a lightning strike caught on camera in Mt. Pleasant, the weather will return to a more traditional summertime pattern beginning Tuesday as Charleston County heads back to class. Temperatures will start on the mild side, generally in the mid-to-upper 70s, warming to the upper 80s in the afternoon. Mix in the continued humidity, and it’ll feel closer to 98°. Scattered showers and storms should fire again in the afternoon along and ahead of the seabreeze, and yes, there is a risk of heavy rain with these storms, but the risk for flash flooding will be a bit lower especially as storm motions should be a bit faster.

The rest of the work week will remain unsettled as the frontal zone that’s been hanging around for several days begins to trek back toward the coast, cooling us back off a little bit but keeping showers and thunderstorms in the forecast.

We remain on the cool side of normal on Tuesday, though a few more breaks in the clouds should allow temperatures to turn warmer, with highs approaching the mid-to-upper 80s in the afternoon after starting the day in the low 70s. Periods of showers and maybe a few thunderstorms will continue to be possible, though it won’t rain all the time. Some guidance suggests storms kicking off on the seabreeze later in the afternoon, which could produce some heavy downpours considering the continued feed of moisture and energy from the southwest. Severe weather is not expected, though.

Our late-July heat wave continues for the rest of the work week, but thankfully with some afternoon and evening thunderstorms to help take the edge off a bit.

The heat wave continues on Tuesday, but we will be getting past its peak as the high pressure ridge aloft continues to migrate westward, allowing for more shower and thunderstorm activity to develop in the afternoon. We’ll still be hot enough for a Heat Advisory, with low temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s yielding to highs in the mid-90s. Mix in mid-to-upper-70s dewpoints and you get heat indices topping out around 110° or so before showers and thunderstorms develop. Guidance generally keeps things dry through about 1-2 PM before numerous storms kick off generally away from the coast. Widespread severe weather isn’t expected, but a couple storms could produce some strong winds, and there will be a risk for flooding if storms train. Remember, every thunderstorm is dangerous because of the lightning it produces, so be sure to head indoors if a storm threatens your area.

The stalled front that brought us some flooding rains and severe weather on Tuesday lingers over the next couple days before high pressure nudges in, sending rain chances down and temperatures up for Friday.

Warm and muggy conditions with a few afternoon storms continue across the Lowcountry for the rest of the work week, as we do in mid-July. Generally speaking, every day will feature very, very warm starts in the upper 70s to around 80° near the coast, with highs in the low 90s each afternoon. Highs warm as we get further along in the week with high pressure building back into the area, and we’ll turn even warmer as we head into the weekend.

Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms each afternoon along and ahead of the seabreeze. As usual this time of year, storms will be of the pulse variety (pop up, mature, collapse) and won’t produce any organized severe weather. However, where outflow boundaries from collapsing storms collide, storms could briefly turn strong to severe, with wet microbursts the most likely mode of severe weather. Regardless of severity, all thunderstorms are dangerous due to the lightning they produce. When thunder roars, go indoors!

It’ll be another hot and humid July day across the Lowcountry on Tuesday as high pressure at the surface and aloft remain the predominant weather features, at least for one more day. The morning starts in the mid-70s inland to near 80° at the coast and downtown, warming to the mid-90s once again in the afternoon. Heat indices should rise in the 102-105° range, especially in the immediate wake of the seabreeze thanks to the dewpoint surge that typically accompanies it. We should see showers and thunderstorms fire along and ahead of the seabreeze by afternoon. Storms that fire could dump a good bit of rain in some spots in a short period of time thanks to the tropical airmass left behind by Chantal, so we will need to monitor for the potential for minor flooding in poor drainage areas. A stronger storm or two can never be ruled out this time of year, either, with gusty winds the main concern.

A cold front will draw nearer to the Lowcountry on Wednesday before stalling out, which will help kick up the risk for thunderstorms especially during the afternoon and evening hours. It won’t rain all day, but many of us should measure some rainfall as storms push across the area from west to east through late night. Temperatures in the mid-70s will warm to the upper 80s to around 90°. There’s a chance our 18-day streak of 90°+ highs will come to an end thanks to the proliferation of cloud cover, showers, and thunderstorms on Wednesday, but we will see. Regardless, expect a steamy and eventually stormy day across the metro; be ready for rain to cause some slowdowns.

Thursday is looking a little better, though some storms could linger midday. But drier air will be moving in, and we should see improving conditions by evening. It’ll be another warm day, with highs returning to the 90s in the afternoon after another mid-70s start.