A relatively quiet Saturday will give way to a somewhat turbulent Sunday as a potent winter storm brings heavy rain to the Lowcountry. Temperatures on Saturday will generally run in the upper 50s as cloud cover increases as the storm approaches from the west. We should get much of Saturday in rain-free, with the better rain chances arriving at and after midnight.

A warm front will continue to lift north across the area tonight, eroding a wedge of high pressure and setting us up for an unseasonably warm Saturday. We may start with some patches of fog during what will be a very mild morning, with lows only bottoming out around the mid to perhaps upper 50s. (The normal high for December 11 is 63°!) We’ll keep a mix of clouds and sun around as breezy southwest winds help pump in warmer air ahead of an advancing cold front. This will allow highs to top out in the mid-70s, 10°+ above normal.

Late Saturday into early Sunday morning, the aforementioned cold front will move through the area, bringing with it a weakening line of showers. It doesn’t look like we’re getting much in the way of rain out of this, so there are no real concerns as the line crosses the area. It should be out of here by daybreak Sunday (exact timing TBD), bringing a cooler airmass along with it. Highs will be right on the line for normal for December 12 on Sunday as clouds scour out, bringing us a sunny finish to the weekend.

Whatever rain we get overnight Saturday/early Sunday looks to be the only precipitation we’ll see for the next several days as our very La Niña-esque cool season rolls on. Enjoy the weekend!

High pressure remains in control of our weather over the weekend, keeping partly cloudy skies in place and unseasonably warm temperatures in tow. We look to return to the mid-70s Saturday after starting out around 50°, weather that is more reminiscent of October than December. We keep this in place on Sunday, with highs perhaps coming in a couple degrees cooler as a cold front gets nearby (but not through the area, it looks like).

The only weather worry will be the risk for minor coastal flooding with the morning high tides on Saturday, Sunday, and possibly into Monday as the new moon at perigee brings us another round of king tides. High tide on Saturday morning arrives around 7:32am and on Sunday at 8:26am. Minor flooding can close a few roads around downtown Charleston, particularly near the Citadel and the City Market, but these disruptions should be easy to bypass. (It’ll be nothing like what we saw around this time last month, that’s for sure!) Keep an ear out for Coastal Flood Advisories from the National Weather Service and avoid roads covered in salt water as that’s nasty for your car.

We’ve got another chilly night ahead; temperatures could scrape freezing at a few spots by Saturday morning, so be sure you’ve got sensitive plants still protected and your pets have a warm place to be overnight.

Saturday will run a little cooler than today did in the wake of a cold front that came through earlier today. After starting the day around freezing (with wind chills making it feel about 3-5° colder), highs will top out in the upper 50s despite mostly sunny skies. Winds look to be generally light throughout the day with a shift in direction to the southwest late.

Sunday will feature more clouds but will also be warmer thanks to westerly winds ahead of another weak cold front poised to come through early Monday morning. Temperatures will rebound to the mid-60s in the afternoon after starting around 40°, making for a seasonably comfortable late November day in the Lowcountry.

The potent upper low which helped drive through a front with heavy rain and gusty winds yesterday remains over the Southeast through this weekend, keeping temperatures on the cool side and cloud cover a little elevated, particularly on Saturday. We’re very likely not to get out of the upper 60s on Saturday given the mix of clouds and sun that’s expected. (You might want a sweater, at least for a bit!)

Sunday will run a touch warmer and a little sunnier, too, making for a rather pleasant Halloween free of weather-related frights. Nice weather on a warming trend looks to continue for the first few days of November, too. Enjoy your weekend!

Get ready for a change in seasons this weekend. After a record high of 87° today at the airport, we’ll climb back into the upper 80s for Saturday as a cold front approaches the area. A few showers and maybe a rumble of thunder or two will be possible as the front gets closer, but the general thinking is that there just won’t be the moisture for more widespread rainfall.

Fall fans, rejoice: We will wake up to a significantly more fall-like feel on Sunday morning with lows bottoming out in the low to mid-50s. Much cooler and drier air will continue to move into the area throughout the day, yielding clear skies and highs only topping out in the low 70s despite uninterrupted sunshine. We may see our first 40s of the season in the metro area on Monday morning, too, before a slow warming trend commences for the rest of the upcoming week.

There is a light at the end of this very muggy and rainy tunnel as we get into the weekend. We’ll still be dodging scattered showers and a few thunderstorms on Saturday as low pressure meanders nearby and some upper-level energy moves through. By Sunday, though, a little drier air works its way in and the low shifts away for what should turn out to be a fairly nice day. We’ll keep a mix of sun and clouds around, but rain looks to stay away as temperatures peak around 80° in the afternoon — not too bad for this time of year.

We will need to continue to watch times of high tide Saturday and Sunday morning for minor to moderate coastal flooding with the new moon and some north to northeast winds. Tide levels could approach 7.5′ both days, causing some road closures in Downtown Charleston. High tide on Saturday morning will arrive at 10:49 AM, and on Sunday morning around 11:45 AM. Expect flooding 1-2 hours either side of high tide.

Our unsettled pattern continues into the weekend as low pressure meanders offshore and we stay within some troughing aloft. Another round of widespread rain will characterize Friday as storms develop in GA and move northeastward through the afternoon. From there, scattered showers and thunderstorms will persist into Saturday before the aforementioned low pressure moves a little further away to our north and east, allowing for some drier air to filter in from the north to keep Sunday rain-free and a little more comfortable to boot.

Astronomical influences and onshore winds will continue to cause coastal flooding issues around times of high tide through the weekend. Moderate coastal flooding is in the forecast for high tide around 9:58 AM Friday. With the forecast between 7.5-7.7′, we can expect some road closures to occur in and around Downtown Charleston. Another round of moderate coastal flooding, which could peak even higher, is expected Saturday morning around the 10:49 AM high tide, causing another round of road closures. As always, we’ll need to see what the rain is doing around this time as well as any water on top would be most unwelcome. Moderate coastal flooding will again be an issue around midday Sunday, but the risk for rain will be much lower than previous days, so the specter of more widespread problems is diminished.

Hang in there — next week is looking drier, at least. True fall weather, though, still appears to be well down the road as elevated dewpoints and ridging aloft will keep temperatures above normal through the end of next week.

With lows in the 60s, highs in the mid-80s, and low humidity, the main takeaway from this weekend’s forecast is this:

Go outside.

Fall-like weather this early in September doesn’t come around often. Take advantage!

Pro tip: Mow the lawn Saturday morning, because we could start to see some showers and storms enter the picture in the afternoon as high pressure begins to weaken across the area. It’ll still be warm, but temperatures will be limited to the upper 80s by more pervasive cloud cover.

Why mow Saturday? Because Sunday is going to be a lot tougher to get that mowing in, and it doesn’t get better getting into next week. Showers and thunderstorms look to become a little more widespread Sunday, with on-and-off storms possible for a good bit of the day. As usual in summer, it won’t rain all the time, but when it does, a brief downpour or two could drop a decent amount of rain.

As we get into next week, a continued feed of tropical moisture and a stalled front will interact will keep scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms in the forecast, particularly in the afternoons.