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Tag: tropical update

Weekend forecast: Steamy & stormy

/ June 28, 2024 at 7:26 PM

The weekend’s forecast will feature continued summer heat and humidity with showers and thunderstorms each afternoon.

We’ll start Saturday in the mid-to-upper 70s away from the coast, warming to the low to mid-90s in the afternoon. Dewpoints will be on the rebound after a slightly drier Friday, but heat indices should stay below the Heat Advisory threshold of 108° for one more day. That being said, it’ll still be plenty hot: it’ll feel like 103-105° at the height of the afternoon. The seabreeze will be the focal point for scattered thunderstorm development in the afternoon, with additional storms firing off outflow boundaries. Some of us may see a storm to cool us off, but others will not. High-resolution guidance is pointing at areas along and west of 17-A for the best chance for storms.

More widespread storms are possible Sunday ahead of another “cold” front that’ll be moving in from the north. Ahead of this front and before storms kick off, air temperatures could head into the mid-90s. This, combined with an increasingly humid airmass, could send heat indices toward the upper 100s and, after a couple days off, another Heat Advisory. Many of us should see relief, though, as showers and thunderstorms develop in the afternoon through the evening via the seabreeze, outflow boundaries, and the approaching front. A couple storms could be on the stronger side with damaging wind gusts the main concern as well, so be aware of that possibility.

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The week ahead: Seasonably warm, turning unsettled

/ June 16, 2024 at 10:31 PM

The week ahead will generally feature temperatures around if not even a touch below normal at times through mid-week before warming back up, perhaps into the mid-90s, for the weekend.

We start the week off fairly quietly as a little bit of lower-dewpoint air nudges into the area, generally capping highs in the upper 80s to around 90°. High pressure aloft and at the surface will keep thunderstorm chances very low, so expect to at least get the first couple days of the week in rain-free.

High pressure starts to weaken as we head into Juneteenth, and the standard summertime afternoon thunderstorm chances respond accordingly. Storms could be a little more widespread Thursday as low pressure approaches Florida, enhancing the flow of moisture into our neck of the woods. A warming trend begins Friday as high pressure offshore moves a little further south, turning the resulting flow at the surface more southerly as well and essentially turning the heat pump back on. Low-to-mid-90s temperatures are expected Friday through Sunday, with scattered thunderstorms each afternoon.

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Thursday: A few storms possible as low pressure passes offshore

/ June 12, 2024 at 10:56 PM

Thursday could feature a few showers and storms brushing the coast as low pressure tries to organize along a stationary front that’s been lingering offshore for the past few days. It’ll otherwise be a fairly standard warm June day — lows in the low 70s yielding to highs around 90° in the afternoon under a mix of sun and clouds. Dewpoints in the upper 60s will help keep heat indices from getting too far out of hand, thankfully.

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The 2024 hurricane season begins

/ June 1, 2024 at 12:30 PM

Welcome to the 2024 hurricane season, everybody. From now through November 30, we’ll keep one eye out on the Atlantic basin for whatever spinny mischief may try to get going. The outlook for this year is for an incredibly busy season thanks to flat-out hot water well into the Atlantic and the expectation that we’ll be in La Niña, which tends to relax shear over the Atlantic and turbocharges the environment for tropical cyclone formation as a result. Of course, the outlook only shows how many storms will probably form; it’s not an indicator of how many of those will make landfall, much less where they may do so. It only takes one storm to make a season memorable for all the wrong reasons, too.

The good news to start the season is that tropical cyclone development isn’t expected for the next seven days. We didn’t even have any preseason activity this year for the first time since 2022. However, as we all know, tropical cyclones can spin up on a dime, so it’s important for us all to be prepared. To paraphrase John Philpot Curran, Thomas Jefferson, and others: the price of living in Charleston is six months of tropical vigilance.

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Friday & the weekend: One more day of tapering showers, then turning nice

/ November 16, 2023 at 10:41 PM

Showers will gradually depart as Friday wears on thanks to low pressure moving away from the area. It’ll be an unseasonably warm day, with lows starting near 60° before temperatures top out in the low to mid-70s in the afternoon. We’ll see some breaks in the clouds between showers, so once again, we’re not expecting a totally gray, washed out day. The only other issue will be the potential for some minor salt water flooding around the 10:25am high tide; expect water levels to peak around 7′ or so, putting some salt water once again on Hagood at Fishburne and perhaps on Lockwood. Widespread flooding issues are not expected.

The weather improves just in time for the weekend. Clouds will be decreasing Saturday as deeper moisture departs. We start the day in the mid-50s before warming into the low 70s in the early afternoon. From there, a cold front will get through later in the day; expect a dry passage thanks to much drier air in place. Sunday will be noticeably cooler — expect lows in the mid-40s, some 10° cooler than Saturday morning — before warming to around 70° in the afternoon.

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Shower chances peak Thursday, taper Friday, ahead of a nice weekend

/ November 15, 2023 at 7:57 PM

This week’s shower chances will peak Thursday as a disturbance moves across the Gulf Coast, spawning low pressure off the Florida coast. Expect shower activity to generally be scattered in nature, though, with some dry periods and maybe a few breaks in the clouds possible at times. Warmer air will make inroads as the wedge of high pressure which kept temperatures fairly well suppressed over the past few days begins to give way. Expect highs to top out in the low 70s in the afternoon as a result.

There will again be the risk for some minor coastal flooding with Thursday morning’s high tide, which is expected to peak around 9:33am. Much like Wednesday morning, water levels should reach 7-7.2′ again, which should be enough to put some salt water on the roads but not enough to begin to introduce widespread issues. Still, the vulnerable locations on the west side of the peninsula near The Citadel and Gadsden Green will likely take on salt water once again during the morning. Be ready to reroute around flooded roads.

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Rest of the work week: A scattering of showers

/ November 14, 2023 at 9:15 PM

Showers re-enter the weather picture for the second half of the work week, though we’ll warm up a little in the process. Expect overcast on Wednesday before scattered showers commence in the afternoon. It doesn’t look like it’ll be a terribly heavy rain, but it could be enough to make the roads a little slick, so be careful when commuting. Temperatures start in the low 50s and rise to about the mid-60s in the afternoon as the cool wedge of high pressure hangs on for one more day.

The wedge starts to weaken Thursday, and despite overcast with periods of showers continuing, temperatures will run a little warmer. Expect mid-50s to start with low 70s in the afternoon. A few peeks of sun will be possible Friday, though scattered showers are expected to continue. Temperatures will run even warmer Friday, with lows around 60° and highs in the low-to-mid-70s.

Minor coastal flooding will continue to be possible with the morning high tides heading into the weekend. Water levels will generally peak around 7-7.1′ or so each day, which is enough to put some salt water on vulnerable roads in downtown Charleston. The highest tide capable of producing flooding on Wednesday is predicted around 8:47am, Thursday a little after 9:30am, and Friday around 10:30am. Stay tuned for Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.

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Tuesday’s forecast: Mix of clouds and sun ahead of more unsettled weather for the second half of the week

/ November 13, 2023 at 10:16 PM

Another seasonably cool fall day awaits for Tuesday as we start to see an uptick in cloud cover portending more unsettled weather beginning later Wednesday into the rest of the work week. Temperatures start in the mid-40s before heading to the mid-60s in the afternoon, a couple clicks below normal but certainly very seasonally-appropriate. We’ll see ample sunshine, too, but as mentioned, cloud cover will begin to head up as we get into the evening.

High tide a little after 8am will be capable of producing some minor coastal flooding, with water levels generally approaching 7′ or so. It’ll be enough to put salt water on the most vulnerable roads — think around Hagood and Fishburne — but won’t cause widespread problems. Still, be ready to reroute around salt water-covered roads Tuesday morning.

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The week ahead: Seasonably cool to start, rain in the middle, improving this weekend

/ November 12, 2023 at 10:31 PM

After a dreary weekend, some sun begins to peek back out for Monday, and this will help temperatures get closer to — but still a touch below — mid-November norms. Expect highs in the mid-to-upper 60s Monday through Wednesday, with high temperatures reaching the low 70s starting Thursday and continuing into the weekend, with a slight cooldown for Sunday in the wake of a weak cold front.

Clouds will steadily increase through the first part of the work week as a reasonably vigorous disturbance ejects out of the southern Plains, with surface low pressure moving southeast from the Gulf Coast toward the Florida peninsula, dragging an inverted trough to its north that will help be a forcing mechanism for some shower activity here at home. There’s a slight chance of showers as soon as Wednesday, with rain chances peaking Thursday before gradually tapering Friday and perhaps into Saturday depending on the timing of the trough’s exit and the aforementioned front crossing the area. Most of Saturday should be rather nice, and Sunday will offer even more in the way of sunshine.

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The week ahead: Above-normal temperatures continue before a weekend cooldown (and maybe showers)

/ November 5, 2023 at 9:54 PM

The warming trend that began this past weekend continues for much of the upcoming week, but a front will bring along some cooler air — and maybe a few showers — as we head into the weekend.

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