Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC

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883 FXUS62 KCHS 232317 AFDCHS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston SC 717 PM EDT Sun Jun 23 2024 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will remain over the western Atlantic through much of next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM MONDAY MORNING/...
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Tonight: Aloft, the local area will remain nestled between weak low pressure meandering over the western Atlantic off the Southeast Coast and a ridge extending west across the Deep South and into parts of the Southeast United States. At the sfc, weak low pressure positioned near Charleston County early this evening will shift north/northeast, pulling deeper moisture out of the local area within the next hour or two. Expect the bulk of ongoing convection to wane near sunset with the loss of daytime heating and lack of substantial forcing in the area. However, a few showers can not be ruled out for the next few hours, mainly associated with outflow boundaries that interact with an inland progressing sea breeze. Overnight, conditions should be fairly quiet with light winds and some lingering clouds in place. Sfc winds could even decouple for a few hours, but light winds from the southwest should return and gradually increase late night as a trough approaches from the west- northwest heading through daybreak. Temps should remain mild tonight ahead of this feature, generally only dipping into the mid 70s inland to upper 70s/around 80 near the beaches.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A broad upper ridge will remain over the central United States on Monday while a weak shortwave drops through southeast GA/SC in the afternoon. A weak surface front is forecast to drop into the area Monday afternoon, potentially providing a focus for afternoon convection. Fairly unidirectional W flow will result in a downslope trajectory, not only pushing temps into the upper 90s but potentially producing subsidence that works against convective initiation. The offshore winds will also keep the sea breeze pinned near the coast much of the day, with only a small amount of inland movement late in the afternoon. 0-6 km bulk shear expected to be 25-30 kt with SBCAPE around 1,000 J/kg. Given the approaching cold front, there could be some storm organization along and ahead of the front in the afternoon, though the downslope flow could limit the overall coverage. Heat indices are forecast to top out 105-108F in the afternoon, just shy of Heat Advisory criteria. The weak upper ridge pattern will transition to a weak trough over the Southeast Tuesday into Wednesday. At the surface, a weak surface wave will linger near the area Tuesday, then dissipate Tuesday night. A relatively typical summertime pattern is expected both days, with scattered mainly diurnal convection and highs in the 90s. Forecast heat indices both days top out just below 108F in a few spots. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... A potent shortwave will move through Thursday and Thursday night. On Friday, surface high pressure will be centered over the Northeast, with a deep onshore flow over the local area. Fairly good coverage of showers and thunderstorms expected Thursday and Friday. A deep layered ridge will build over the area for the weekend, decreasing diurnal convection coverage. && .AVIATION /23Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... KSAV: The center of the surface low is now located over western Charleston county this afternoon with most of the shower formation being towards the Charleston terminals. Behind the surface low, winds have veered around from the northwest with not much in the way of precipitation expected. A sea breeze will push inland later this afternoon with winds turning around from the south/ southeast. Overnight, only some high and mid clouds will remain with VFR conditions expected. No fog is forecast tonight as the pressure gradient remains elevated which should keep winds up. Late Monday morning, winds will again turn from the west and be 10 to 15 kts. No precipitation is expected through the morning hours of Monday. KCHS/KJZI: The center of the surface low is now located over western Charleston County this afternoon with most of the shower activity occurring in close proximity to KCHS and KJZI. A sea breeze will push inland later this afternoon with winds turning around from the south/ southeast. Showers will likely come to an end very soon with coverage decreasing through the afternoon hours. Overnight, only some high and mid clouds will remain with VFR conditions expected. No fog is forecast tonight as the pressure gradient remains elevated which should keep winds up. Late Monday morning, winds will again turn from the west and be 10 to 15 kts. No precipitation is expected through the morning hours of Monday. Extended Aviation Outlook: Mostly VFR. However, convection will bring brief flight restrictions, mainly each afternoon and evening. && .MARINE...
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Tonight: Weak low pressure centered just off the Charleston County Coast will shift north-northeast early this evening, departing local waters. The pressure gradient will remain somewhat enhanced in wake of this feature between sfc high pressure centered further offshore across the western Atlantic and a sfc trough approaching the Southeast United States late. As a result, southwest winds ranging between 15-20 kt this evening could gust upwards to 25 kt after midnight across nearshore SC waters off the Charleston County Coast and across offshore GA waters. Seas should also build to 4-6 ft in these waters. Small Craft Advisories will therefore start across these coastal zones starting around midnight and remain in effect through the night. Elsewhere, seas should build up to 3-5 ft, falling just short of Small Craft Advisory levels. Extended Marine: A slight gradient enhancement will persist Monday and Monday night due to the cold front approaching from the west and high pressure offshore. Wind gusts and seas should remain just below Small Craft Advisory criteria. Monday night through Friday, a typical summertime maritime pattern expected with S or SW winds less than 15 kt and seas no greater than 4 ft.
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&& .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 2 AM to 8 AM EDT Monday for AMZ350. Small Craft Advisory from midnight tonight to 8 AM EDT Monday for AMZ374. && $$ NEAR TERM...DPB SHORT TERM...JRL LONG TERM...JRL AVIATION...Haines/JRL MARINE...DPB/JRL