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Tag: tropical update

Tuesday: Chilly start, but a warming trend begins

/ October 23, 2023 at 9:51 PM

We get off to a fairly chilly start on Tuesday as lows bottom out in the upper 40s thanks to clear skies and light winds. This will be the low-water mark (so to speak) for temperatures, though, as we head into the rest of the week. Highs on Tuesday top out in the mid-70s once again, perhaps a degree or two warmer than we saw on Monday. All in all, another nice October day.

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The week ahead: High pressure in control; warm and sunny days to ensue

/ October 22, 2023 at 4:39 PM

The story of this week’s weather will be high pressure keeping a firm grasp on the area for the rest of the week (and maybe even the rest of October). This will lead to generally quiet weather, with a warming trend bringing us into the low 80s starting around midweek. Monday will be the coolest of the set in the wake of a dry cold frontal passage; we start the day around 50° and warm into the low 70s in the afternoon with just a few clouds. Tuesday starts a touch cooler, but the warming trend will begin with temperatures reaching a little warmer in the afternoon. A decent stretch of above-normal warmth takes hold from there, with variable cloud cover but little else to write home about as moisture is generally scant. All in all, it’s not a bad week to get the car washed (note to self) and enjoy some outdoor lunches.

The only concern may end up being coastal flooding at times of high tide possibly starting as early as Tuesday. Winds will be out of the northeast as high pressure settles in to our northwest, and this combined with the upcoming full moon will once again start to send water levels above coastal flood criteria as we head into the latter half of the week. Keep an ear out for Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service.

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Friday & the weekend: Stormy close to the work week, then beauty

/ October 19, 2023 at 10:33 PM

Showers and a few thunderstorms re-enter the weather picture for Friday as a cold front moves by, but it’ll be worth it as we have a gorgeous weekend ahead.

We start Friday in the mid-50s with dewpoints steadily rising throughout the day. Showers and thunderstorms will approach the area from the west as the day goes on, with storms possible perhaps as early as 1-2 PM, but most likely in the late afternoon to early evening hours. A storm or two could even be on the strong side, with damaging wind gusts the main concern. Rainfall between a quarter and half-inch is generally expected, with some spots under- and over-performing as is common with these kinds of convective setups. Due to the ongoing dry conditions, though, flooding is not expected to be an issue.

From there, the weekend looks great. Skies clear nicely for Saturday, and northwesterly flow will yield a rather beautiful day with lows in the mid-50s yielding to highs in the mid-70s in the afternoon with nary a cloud to be found. Sunday will be another really nice day with temperatures generally similar to Saturday’s, though we’ll see a bit more in the way of scattered clouds ahead of a dry frontal passage late. All in all, it looks to be a fantastic weekend to get out and do stuff.

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Thursday: Clouds on the increase, a little warmer

/ October 18, 2023 at 8:40 PM

Expect clouds to be on the increase on Thursday as a coastal trough develops nearby, spreading some cloud cover onshore. Somewhat more southerly trajectories will allow temperatures to run a little warmer (but still below normal). Expect to start the day in the low-to-mid-50s before temperatures head to the mid-70s in the afternoon. Despite increasing clouds, expect one more rain-free day ahead of a cold front arriving Friday.

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The week ahead: A light taste of sweater weather

/ October 15, 2023 at 9:56 PM

Overall, we’ve got a pretty nice week ahead with temperatures running generally below normal and only one passing rain chance on Friday.

A trough moving by overnight Sunday into Monday could bring a few showers early Monday morning, but those will be done by daybreak, and we should see a partly cloudy day with highs topping out only in the mid-to-upper 60s, some 10° below normal for this point in the year. (Might be a little taste of sweater weather?) We start Tuesday in the upper 40s with highs once again peaking shy of 70° with more sunshine expected. We have a similarly cool start Wednesday but with unfettered sunshine, expect highs to top out in the low 70s. Thursday runs a little warmer with lows starting in the low 50s and highs in the mid-70s with a little bit more in the way of cloud cover (but still plenty of sun, too).

Our only real rain chance this week arrives ahead of a cold front on Friday. Generally, expect a scattering of showers in the afternoon and evening ahead of the front, but nothing too outrageous. Highs will run in the mid-70s. Behind the front, a modest cooldown will ensue, but it should be a really nice weekend with lows in the 50s and highs in the low 70s each afternoon.

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Rest of the work week: An unsettled period begins

/ October 10, 2023 at 10:27 PM

Increasing moisture will proliferate across the area during the day Wednesday as high pressure continues to give way to a disturbance that’ll move across the Gulf. Much of the day should be dry as it takes some time for the remaining dry air to scour out, but once that does, expect showers to begin at some point Wednesday evening, peaking overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. Thursday’s going to be kind of a chilly and raw day as high pressure wedges in from the north, socking us in with cloud cover and occasional showers. Expect highs to top out in the low 70s at best. A warm front lifts north of the area later on Friday, and that’ll send temperatures back up a bit. We could see some rumbles of thunder alongside more scattered showers, so keep the rain gear handy.

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Tuesday: Back to warm before an unsettled period

/ October 9, 2023 at 11:48 PM

Clouds and temperatures will be on the increase for Tuesday as moisture begins to move back into the area. We start Tuesday in the low 50s before temperatures warm reasonably quickly into the low 80s by early afternoon. We should get plenty of sun for much of the day, though cloud cover will be thickening by evening.

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The week ahead: Chilly start, then turning unsettled

/ October 8, 2023 at 10:43 PM

After a day that featured lows in the low 50s and highs topping out just in the low 70s, clear skies and calm winds will allow temperatures across much of the metro area (inland of the coast, anyway) to fall into the 40s for the first time since early May on Monday morning. Sunny skies will prevail throughout the day, and temperatures should reach the mid-70s in the afternoon as a result. Overall, it will be another really nice day across the Lowcountry.

The chill will gradually recede as high pressure shifts offshore during the day Monday. Tuesday will run warmer and a little cloudier, with highs topping out in the low 80s in the afternoon after a mid-50s start. A little more cloud cover works into the area by Wednesday as a jet streak strengthens overhead, which should lead to a few showers later in the day (though there’s a lot of dry air to overcome initially). Shower chances improve into Thursday as low pressure moves eastward out of the Gulf of Mexico. We should see an uptick in cloud cover and a little cooler day as well as high pressure wedges in from the northeast. We’ll stay wedged in for a good bit of Friday, though a warm front should lift northward later in the day. Shower chances will continue and perhaps tick up a bit as the aforementioned warm front gets nearby. A little thunder will be possible, too.

Conditions should gradually improve over the weekend as a cold front gets through late on Saturday, and by Sunday, temperatures head back below normal into the mid-70s under mostly sunny skies. (Frontal timing, of course, will be fine-tuned as the week goes on.)

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Weekend forecast: Prepare the light jackets

/ October 6, 2023 at 9:05 PM

Big (but brief, for now) changes are incoming for our weather in the wake of a cold front that will get through during the day Saturday. First, though, we may dodge a shower or two in the morning as the front gets by, but from there the trend will be for fewer clouds and an uptick in northwesterly winds. We’ll start Saturday in the mid-60s and warm to the low 80s in the early afternoon before cooler air starts to filter in. Dewpoints will drop precipitously starting in the evening, and by Sunday morning, things are going to feel a lot different.

On Sunday, we’ll get off to the coolest start we’ve had since the morning of May 4 with lows bottoming out in the low 50s across the metro. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some 40s in more rural areas. Full sunshine will be in play, but the cooler air moving in will help counteract it, allowing highs to only climb into the low 70s. Bottom line: Take Saturday to make sure your light jackets or hoodies are ready to go because you may very well need them on Sunday! We keep the cooler air going into Monday, but it will be short-lived and we’ll be back closer to normal by mid-next week.

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Rest of the work week: Still a little hazy Wednesday, then a front approaches

/ October 3, 2023 at 9:22 PM

The past couple days have been marred somewhat by wildfire smoke moving southwest from Canada, and it looks like that may persist at least into parts of Wednesday as well. There could be some air quality impacts, so if you are sensitive to particulate matter, you may want to spend a little more time inside. (Masks such as N95s will help here, too!) Smoke aside, the weather is otherwise quiet; lows bottom out in the low 60s once again and head into the low 80s in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies. We’ll also need to keep an eye on the midday high tide for one more round of minor coastal flooding, but that should do it for this stretch of coastal flooding events with some pattern changes in the offing.

We should see improvements with the smoke heading into Thursday, but cloud cover will begin to creep up as a little more moisture starts to work into the area. We should stay rain-free, though a shower might not be totally out of bounds. Highs once again top out in the low-to-mid-80s.

Warmth peaks Friday as ever-so-slightly higher dewpoint air continues to move in. We start the day in the mid-to-upper 60s and top out in the mid-80s with a chance of a shower or thunderstorm or two in the afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front. Said front moves by Saturday, and by Sunday, temperatures are very fall-like.

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